So Close, And Yet So Very Far
by TeamImprov
Summary: Oh, what an opportunity missed. This is a whumpified version of the accident at the end of 2x04, X-Ray Penny. Also, let's just say that when Murdoc attacked them they were closer to Phoenix and in a more remote location than in the episode. I don't want the paramedics getting there too fast, gives us more time to explore the whump.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Oh, what an opportunity missed. This is a whumpified version of the accident at the end of 2x04, X-Ray+Penny. Also, let's just say that when Murdoc attacked them they were closer to Phoenix and in a more remote location than in the episode. I don't want the paramedics getting there too fast, gives us more time to explore the whump.

**So Close, and Yet So Very Far**

**Chapter One**

Mac was only marginally aware of Murdoc's incessant taunting.

The warped metal frame of the transport vehicle twisted around his body like a python, crushing him as if it was trying to swallow him whole. His brain, which was usually ten steps ahead of everything else, was struggling to catch up. Smoke from the blown engine billowed mercilessly around him and he couldn't help the choking cough that ripped out of his sore chest.

Breathing hurt, thinking hurt…the rest of him was worryingly numb. He tried to twist away from the constricting metal but he couldn't move more than an inch, and that only caused his body to flare up in more pain. He felt strangely floaty, distant, a feeling he'd experienced before, usually while losing blood. That couldn't be good.

He tried to focus his attention on Murdoc as he pulled Henry Fletcher out of the back. He couldn't move his head enough to see but he could vaguely hear something about a new collective Murdoc was planning on starting, with Fletcher as his first recruit. Suddenly, Murdoc's face was there, in front of Mac's faltering vision, and he tried to jerk away. Murdoc only smiled smugly at Mac's poor excuse at an attempt to protect himself.

"I'll be seeing you real soon."

The words broke through the haze and sent an involuntary shiver down Mac's spine and then Murdoc was gone, whistling all the way. Mac wanted to stop him but that possibility flew out the door when he tried to pull himself free once more. The movement only seemed to awaken his previously numb body. He gasped as the first real wave of pain hit him hard in the gut. His vision flickered and black spots descended from the corners of his vision. He watched in strange fascination as his vision blacked out completely and his consciousness sputtered out.

Jack hated waking up in pain.

Unfortunately, in his line of work it was all too common but that didn't make it any more enjoyable. His head felt like someone had shoved a metal spike through it and he pressed his fingers into his eyes. As the headache slowly abated, he took stock of the rest of his body. The first thing he noticed was how twisted up his limbs felt. His legs were pretzeled around each other and his upper body was at a weird 45 degree angle with the floor that was going to leave him with a horrible crick in his back the next day. He just hoped Mac and Cage had had better luck than him.

Mac!

In an instant, Jack forgot his own pain and forced his eyes open, blinking against the harsh sunlight peeking in through the wreckage.

"Mac?" He could see the kid's still form a mere couple of inches from him. Somehow during the wreckage, Jack had gotten turned around because now he was facing the backseat while Mac was facing feet first toward the windshield. Jack had to blink the black dots out of his line of sight as he tried to raise his head a little to get a better view of Mac's pale face that was facing away from him. He let his eyes roam down Mac's lanky frame and winced. He looked well and truly pinned. There was a beam over his stomach and another across his ankles. One of his hands was trapped under yet another offensive piece of metal and the hand closest to Jack disappeared under his back at an awkward and uncomfortable looking angle.

Other than his head feeling like it wanted to explode, the only thing Jack could feel was warped metal wrapped around his hips. In fact, his whole lower body was trapped beneath various beams but they weren't really pressing down on him too hard, merely keeping him immobile. He hoped that was just the case for Mac as well.

"Jack?"

The voice that answered belonged to Cage, not Mac. Jack felt bad that he'd forgotten her but it was a well-known fact that to Jack, Mac came first – always.

"You okay, Cage?" Jack asked, he could just barely make out her horizontal body behind Mac's head. She was on her side, clutching at the frame that had bent around her.

"Part of the truck fell on my leg," she answered her accent thicker because of the pain she was desperately trying to conceal.

"Is it broken?" Jack asked and he could see her nod before she answered.

"I think so," she said and Jack winced for her. He knew how incredibly painful broken bones could be, especially broken legs. This situation was getting worse and worse. "It seems like a clean break, though. Once we get out of here it should be fine. Is Mac okay?"

Jack's focused immediately snapped back to the still figure of his best friend and brother who had still yet to make any indication that he was all right. That worried Jack more than anything. Mac was always the first one back up and checking on everyone else. If he was still down…

Jack reached forward and clamped a hand on Mac's arm that was buried underneath his body. He shook him very, very gently to try to get a response while still conscious of any hidden injuries he may have sustained.

"Hey Mac, bud, wake up for me, okay." Jack tried but his attempts were met with the same eerie silence.

"Come on, kid. How about this – if you wake up right now and stop worrying your ol' friend Jack, I'll forgive you for Paris right now. You won't owe me anything, not even warm beers."

The promise seemed to work because almost immediately Mac shifted ever so slightly and winced. Jack couldn't help but smile as Mac's head turned toward Jack's voice.

"That's it, buddy. Nice and slow." Jack let his voice fall into the naturally soothing tone it always took when Mac was hurt or sick. It was the same one he used with Riley only luckily he didn't have to use it as much with her. The most recent time was when he pulled her out of the trunk on her first solo mission and he never wanted to have to use it with either of his kids again.

Jack rubbed his thumb up and down Mac's arm as he slowly came to and saw Cage reach through the wreckage and place a hand on his shoulder when Mac groaned slightly. Jack would have smiled if he wasn't so goddamn worried. Mac had a tendency to make you want to be near him. Seeing Mac hurt was like seeing a puppy get kicked.

"Jack?" Mac's voice was small as his eyes blinked open slowly. Jack watched them intently, the blue was too bright and they looked sort of glassy but his pupils were equal. At least that was one less thing to have to worry about.

"The one and only," Jack answered brightly, hoping Mac would roll his eyes or go into a long spiel about how their were actually over half a million people in the US alone named Jack, but Mac didn't take the bait.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, picking his head up a fraction to get a better look at Jack. Then he seemed to notice the hand on his shoulder because he let his head fall back and tilted it to check on Cage.

"We're just fine, Mac." Cage answered with a comforting smile.

"Yeah, bud, don't worry about us. How are you feeling? It took a while for you to wake up." Mac's head rolled back toward Jack.

"I'm fine." He answered easily as the foggy look in his eyes cleared. That made Jack feel a little bit better but there was no one better at hiding an injury than Angus MacGyver and Jack had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Where are we?"

"About twenty klicks south of Phoenix, bud." Jack said. Mac's face fell at that. Everyone in the truck knew what that meant. The Phoenix Foundation was as covert as they come. Even though people thought it was just a think tank, the government couldn't take any chances when it came to security. That meant the building chosen when DXS turned into Phoenix was picked for its unassuming façade, and its location well away from civilization. Being about twelve miles away from Phoenix meant they were at least thirty miles away from anything else. That meant no one was going to be passing them anytime soon to offer assistance. They were on their own.

"What about your cell phone?" Mac asked. Jack and Cage immediately began searching their pockets for their devices. Jack found his first and pulled it out of his pocket. The screen was completely smashed and it wouldn't turn on.

"That's not my fault this time." Mac said with a weak smile.

"Ha ha ha, very funny. What about yours?"

"Battery died before we left."

"What do you mean your battery died? Aren't you always prepared for everything?"

"I was kidnapped today, and I didn't think it was important to run home to charge it before going after Fletcher."

"Touché, kid." Jack said and a sharp hiss from the backseat caused both of them to turn as much as they could.

"You okay back there, Cage?" Jack asked.

"I just shifted wrong, moved my leg." She explained. "And I can't find my phone anywhere. It must have gotten lost during the crash."

"What's wrong with your leg?" Mac asked.

"It's broken," Cage explained. "But it'll be fine."

"That's seems to be the theme of this post-crash party, everyone's fine." Jack bemused, still not one hundred percent sure it was true for Mac. The kid's face was frighteningly pale and there was a tightness to his expression that screamed PAIN to Jack. Mac was incredibly good at hiding it but Jack could always tell.

"I've had a broken leg before, Jack, and it was worse than this one and still turned out _fine_." Cage said pointedly and Jack believed her. He didn't know much about Cage's past, none of them did, but he knew enough about her to believe that she could tell how serious an injury was and wouldn't lie about it to her team.

"If you say so," Jack said. "What about comms?"

"Took them out when the mission was done," Mac reminded him.

"Right, don't suppose any of you see them just lying around somewhere?"

"Unfortunately, no." Cage said.

"Mac?" Jack asked when he didn't get a response from him. The kids eyes were clenched tightly shut and Jack reached over to grab onto the kids arm again.

"Hey, tell me what's going on?" Jack said. Mac pried one eye open and shot an alarmed look at Jack. His breathing picked up and he pulled his arm out from underneath his back and pushed against the metal holding him down. "Don't panic, now, just breathe. You're alright."

Mac closed his eyes again and his face lost some of its tension. The new stillness freaked Jack out more than the obvious signs of distress.

"You better open your eyes, Hoss, or I'm going to assume the worst." Jack tried to keep his voice level but panic was threatening to bubble up.

Mac breathed deeply once and then did as he was told. He was pale again and the exhale was shakier than Jack was comfortable with.

"Tell me what's going on, and don't tell me you're _fine_ because that was not _fine_, brother. How bad is it?"

Mac glanced away for a second but Jack nudged his leg until he looked back at him. He could tell Mac was trying desperately hard to hide whatever it was he had been hiding but Jack could be a stubborn son of a bitch and he wasn't going to let it go until Mac came clean. The kid was hurt; Jack had known it since he got his first glimpse of him, now he just needed to know how bad it was. If the pain got so overwhelming Mac wasn't able to hide it at all for a few seconds, it had to be serious.

"Bad." Mac said slowly and with one word he shattered Jack's entire world. If Mac was willing to admit that, it had to be life or death.

"No kidding, man, care to elaborate."

"Something's wrong." Mac stated truthfully. Yes, he wanted Mac to be honest but the fact that he actually was being honest was freaking him out more than anything else.

"Okay." Jack said, he glanced back at Cage who was leaning forward as far as she could. Her fingers found the pulse point in Mac's neck. The look of heightened concern at her reading did nothing to quell that anxiety. Shit. This was bad with a capital B.

"Hurts to breathe," Mac said. "Side's killing me."

Jack let the choice of words slide because he wasn't one hundred percent sure Mac wasn't being serious. He gripped Mac's wrist and felt the pulse there for himself. It was thready and weaker than Jack was comfortable with, the dull thud signifying a system overloaded by an unknown stressor. Mac's skin was cold and clammy so Jack added shock to the list of growing concerns.

"Which side?" Cage asked.

"Hmm?" Mac asked with an exhausted sigh.

"Is it your left side, under your ribs?"

Mac nodded.

That was seriously no bueno. Under the ribs meant spleen. Pain like that meant internal injuries and bleeding. There was no way to put pressure on that kind of wound to stop him from bleeding out. If the injury wasn't that severe, sometimes the bleeding could stop on its own and the patient would be fine, but Jack didn't think Mac was that lucky.

"Jack," Cage started but Jack cut her off with a single, hard look. He didn't need her saying it any more than Mac needed to hear it. All they could do now was focus on getting Mac out and to the help he needed.

"I'll be fine," Mac blinked slowly, every time they closed it was harder and harder to open them.

"Of course you will, bud. We just have to get out of here."

"You guys okay?"

"We already went over this, man, Cage has a broken leg and I have a concussion. We're both a little stuck but it's you we're worried about."

"Concussion?" Mac asked sleepily, his bright blue eyes taking in the cut Jack could feel on the side of his head still leaking blood.

Jack sighed at Mac's worried frown. It was just like him to be more worried about everyone else even though he was clearly the more injured party.

"Looks worse than it is, homie." Jack placated. "You just focus on staying awake and let Cage and I figure out how to get out of here."

"Kay," Mac said and Jack squeezed his wrist reassuringly.

Cage still had a comforting hand on Mac's shoulder. That was the second time today, too. The first was when she was running Mac through his memories of his kidnapping and he had a bad reaction to one of them. Jack had filed that little moment under 'Things to Bring up When the Kid _isn't _Drugged or Bleeding Internally'.

It amazed Jack that aloof, private Cage who never told anyone a single detail about herself was so openly touchy and comforting with Mac. Even Jack himself who was more of a punch first and ask questions later kind of guy had changed significantly since meeting Mac. The kid had an unbelievable way of breaking through tough exteriors and making everyone super protective of him.

He didn't need protecting very often, the kid was wiry yet stronger than Teflon, but when he went down it hit everyone like a punch to the gut.

"Any ideas?" Cage asked. Jack took a second to glance around the ruined truck but he didn't see the world the way Mac did.

"We could use the horn. I think I can reach the steering wheel, maybe someone will hear us." Jack said.

"Yes," Mac said and tried to pull himself forward. The move only served to tighten the metal banded around his torso and Mac let out a hoarse shout of pain. His face paled rapidly and he fell back, clutching his stomach with his one free arm.

"Mac!" Jack exclaimed. "Just breathe, you're okay. Just breathe." He didn't know if it was true but the mantra seemed to help. Mac's breath shuddered out of him as he opened his eyes to stare blankly at the ceiling, or floor, or whatever part of the damn vehicle was right above them.

"You with me?" Jack asked. "Talk to me. Yes, what, use the horn?"

"No…" Mac stuttered.

"Don't use the horn?" Jack asked. He wanted to understand but he wasn't sure if Mac actually had something or if he was just slipping dangerously farther into shock.

"Yes," Mac said. "Hear you."

"What do you mean, man? You're not making any sense."

"Hmp," Mac groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as his whole body flinched. Jack felt completely useless. He was Mac's bodyguard. He was supposed to stop him from getting hurt, and would jump in front of a bullet for the kid if he needed to, but there was nothing he could do to stop the pain coming from the wounds inside of him. He had failed so many times in just that one day and Jack feared this one might be the final mistake. He couldn't sit here and watch Mac slowly bleed out and die in that kind of agony.

Mac had an idea. He always had an idea. Jack just needed to figure out what it was.

"Stay with me," Jack begged. "Stay with me and tell me what I have to do."

"Hmp..vice. Steering."

"Vice? What kind of vice, how will that help us? And I don't think fixing the steering is going to do anything."

"No," Cage said. "Improvise."

"Of course, Mac, what can we improvise? Is there something at the steering wheel we can use?"

Mac nodded and blinked hard a few times, a lone tear escaped down the side of his cheek and Jack felt his own tears threaten. He had to hold it together, though. Mac was counting on him. Mac groaned as another wave of pain hit and his finger began tapping against the metal. Jack tried to ignore the sound but he began to recognize the pattern. Morse Code. It was a trick Jack had taught him years ago on another mission that went bad, if the pain was too much and you couldn't talk, just tap out what you needed to say in Morse Code.

"I hear you, bud." Jack said as Mac continued to tap out his message.

**TELEGRAPH RILEY HELP **

"We're going to make a wireless telegraph," Cage said with an impressed smile, listening in on the message herself. "Send out an SOS and hope Riley can pick it up."

The message changed.

**YES**

"Sounds like a plan but how exactly are we going to build a telegraph machine in this hunk of junk." Jack asked. Mac opened his eyes and smiled slightly.

"Not junk." Mac said simply. "Parts."

"All right, I believe you. What do you need me to do?" Clearly the pain had backed off if Mac was able to talk again. Hopefully that would last long enough for Mac to explain whatever it was he had to do to make a telegraph machine out of a blown up truck.

"Get the panel out from underneath the steering column until you expose the wires underneath." First of all, Jack was impressed by Mac's cognitive abilities even in extensive pain and mortally injured, and second – that was something he could definitely do.

Luckily, since he landed backwards, he was still pretty close to the steering wheel. He only had to reach a little past the point of discomfort before he found the section of the steering column Mac was talking about. He tried to pop that part of the lower dash out but he didn't have a good enough grip.

"Use this." Mac said, handing him a lose piece of metal. Jack took it and pressed one end into the seam of the dash and pushed. It popped out with ease and Jack could see the wires.

"Pull out the wires carefully. We need three eight inch sections of wire and three four inch sections. The wire needs to be insulated but they all should be."

"All right, man. You're the boss." Jack had to pull the wires out with the metal before he was able to cut them into the appropriate sections. He didn't have a ruler and had to use his best judgement on the lengths. "Done."

When no new instructions followed, Jack jolted his attention back to his weakening partner. His eyes were closed and his head had fallen back, his arm loose around his abdomen.

"Mac! Stay with me, buddy. I still need you to walk me through this. What do I do with the wires?" He reached over and shook Mac roughly. He didn't want to worsen any of his already serious injuries but Mac passing out at that stage could be deadly. The shaking worked and soon Mac's eyes fluttered open once again. Jack let out a sigh of relief and felt some of the tension leave his body. "Keep him awake, Cage. What do I do next?"

"Strip half inch from each end of wires," Mac continued weakly and struggled to get his free hand to his trapped one. "Need battery." Cage took pity on his sad attempts and retrieved the watch from Mac's wrist.

"Woah, I thought we didn't break your personal property? Especially not your daddy's watch."

"Jack," Mac said and glanced back at Cage who nodded and pried open the watch. She popped the battery out and handed it to Jack.

"What now?"

'Take two of the longer wires and press part of the exposed side to the negative side of the battery, the bumpy side. Stick together."

"What can I use to stick them together."

"Here." Cage said and pulled a piece of gum out of her pocket. At Jack's confused expression she explained, "what, can't a girl like fresh breath."

Jack merely smirked and took the gum from her; he stuck the piece in his mouth and chewed for a few seconds before taking it out and sticking it to the ground next to him. Using some of the gum, he secured the wires to the battery.

"Done, now what?"

"Connect a smaller wire to the other side."

"Okay."

"Cut a piece of harness to use as the base and glue everything down, we need something small and metal." Jack smiled and pulled out a paper clip. When you worked with MacGyver long enough you tended to learn a thing or two about what would be useful to have on hand in a pinch. He pried the paper clip open and wiggled one end until it snapped off from the rest, then cut some of the harness with the sharp end of the metal and poked a hole through the material before inserting the broken bit of paperclip.

"Wrap one of the long wires around the paperclip."

"Keep going," Jack said.

"We need two LED lights, with little prongs."

"Got it," Cage said and passed forward the little lights.

"There is no way you had these on you already," Jack said. Cage merely pointed to where she pried open the lights on one of the doors and pulled out the bulbs.

"Attach the other end of the other long wire and wrap it around the shorter prong."

Mac continued to list off instructions and Jack continued to put together the small device. Pretty soon they were done and had a pretty shoddy but hopefully working wireless telegraph. Very primitive but if it got them home Jack would cherish it forever.

"Message to Riley," Mac said finally and Jack patted a comforting hand on the kids arm. He had done incredibly well, now it was Jack's turn.

Riley was still in the war room.

Henry Fletcher may have been caught but that didn't mean her job was over just yet. Mac, Jack, and Cage were on route to bring in the fifth grade teacher turned assassin, and Bozer was still tying up loose ends at Fletcher's house. In the meantime she was still trying to search every database she knew about, and she knew about them all, to find any sign of Murdoc.

It had been a long day. First, Mac got kidnapped and Jack nearly lost it. She wanted to be the one to find Mac so badly; he was like a little brother to her.

Neither of them had had siblings growing up, or stable father figures, and Mac didn't even have a mom. Of course he had the Bozer family but it must have been so lonely. Riley knew Mac's grandfather had died a few years after his dad left. He started living with the Bozer family immediately and stayed with them until he left for MIT. He had MIT friends but when he left for the army that part of his life stayed behind. Between Alfred Pena's death and Nikki, and then Thornton's, betrayal, the only solid relationship Mac had had in his entire life was with the members of their little team.

They fell into their roles as a family easily. They joked about Jack being the crazy uncle nobody wanted around but really he was their dad. Matty, surprisingly enough became their mom. Bozer and Riley had become close siblings and Mac, well Mac was the baby brother. He was the youngest and although he was probably the most competent member of the team, he was the one they all felt the strongest urge to protect.

He'd been hurt so many times in his life and it was so unfair. Mac was the best person she knew and the fact that she couldn't help him more when Murdoc had taken him crushed her. Yes, she discovered the car that ultimately got them to the warehouse but Mac wasn't anywhere near the warehouse.

It was one hundred percent true – if Mac hadn't rescued himself they never would have found him.

As she typed her way through every kind of security that had ever exited, she kept thinking back to the look on his face when he was jolted out of his memories in the infirmary. Everyone ghosted past it pretty quickly, especially Mac, but she had seen the raw terror in his eyes, the tension in his body as he tried to calm down. She had no clue as to what he had remembered, and he breezed right by it when they continued, but Murdoc had scared him and he had been alone and that killed her inside.

A soft burst of static caught her attention first. She had many programs running on her rig at all times. One of them surfed through all available, non-functioning AM and FM radio waves. It was something she started doing when she began working with Mac long enough to know him. He was so unbelievably, impressively resourceful when it came to solving problems in the field and she wanted to be ready for anything.

This particular program, she lovingly called 'LocateMac', was designed to pick up signals that could be interpreted into messages from one of Mac's many improvised communication devices. When it detected something even remotely resembling Morse Code, it would begin broadcasting for her the possible message. That seemed to be what was happening now.

The bursts of static continued at two distinct lengths in a specific pattern over and over again. With a few keystrokes another program popped up and immediately translated the bursts.

**SOS RILEY CRASH SOUTH 12M YOU**

Riley's eyes widened and a horrible sinking feeling hit her so fast it felt like the room was spinning. She grabbed her cellphone and immediately dialed Matty's number.

"Director Webber," was the succinct greeting on the other end of the line.

"Matty, I just got a message from Mac, Jack, and Cage. They're in trouble." Riley said, her voice tight with anxiety.

"I'm on my way," Matty said and hung up.

It didn't take long, less than two minutes before Matty was back in the war room. Riley showed her the message playing over and over again.

"Okay, try them on their cells and through comms, clearly if they had to resort to Morse Code all other forms of communications are out of the question."

"I already did, I couldn't get ahold of any of them."

"Alright, send out a rescue team and have them ready for any injuries. We don't know how bad this is but knowing them it can't be good. If they're only twelve miles away, the team should be able to get to them in less than ten minutes."

"Should we go, too?" Riley asked, already sending out the bat signal.

"No, let's wait down in the infirmary for them. Hopefully this isn't as bad as it sounds, but either way they're going to have to get checked out." Matty said calmly but Riley could see the tension behind the cool exterior. This had been a long day for all of them but Matty was forever a consummate professional.

Riley nodded and followed Matty to the elevators. Matty pushed the button for the floor the infirmary was on and the doors slid shut. Riley watched as the numbers ticked down and silently prayed that her family was okay.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I hope you can forgive me for any inaccuracies, and I'm sure there are plenty of those, for I am but a simple dummy!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Oh, what an opportunity missed. This is a whumpified version of the accident at the end of 2x04, X-Ray+Penny. Also, let's just say that when Murdoc attacked them they were closer to Phoenix and in a more remote location than in the episode. I don't want the paramedics getting there too fast, gives us more time to explore the whump.

**So Close, and Yet So Very Far**

**Chapter Two**

"You have to stay with me, bud." Jack said for the nine hundredth time. Mac was fighting, he could see that, but the kid was exhausted and in pain. He had clearly reached the end of whatever kind of crazy adrenaline rush he'd been experiencing that had allowed him to get through this god-awful day. Jack was tired, too. His head was throbbing incessantly. It was starting to sound like the truck was filling with bees and his vision was swimming but he couldn't give in to sleep if Mac couldn't – and Mac _couldn't._

"I'm up." Mac slurred. His face was deathly pale, paler than Jack had ever seen it and he's seen the kid bleeding to death from a gunshot wound to the chest – and Cairo, but they didn't talk about Cairo. In fact, this day could almost be considered the new Cairo. Maybe it would be, it depended on what happened next, Jack guessed.

Jack continued pressing rapidly and precisely on the homemade wireless telegraph he had whipped up, using Mac's surprisingly thorough and easy to follow instructions, of course.

_Come on, Riley, we need your help now more than ever. Mac needs your help now more than ever._

"Prove it and open your eyes."

"They are." Mac insisted even though his eyes were most definitely shut. "Aren't they?"

"No, hoss, they aren't." Jack sighed at the growing confusion. They needed help yesterday or Mac wasn't going to make it. No, he was going to make it. There was no way in hell Jack was going to lose one of his kids. He couldn't lose Mac. It wasn't a lie when he said having Mac's death on his conscious would kill him. It was just that he didn't know how to or want to live in a world without the whip smart wonder kid with the silly hamburger name who had gone from the thorniest of thorns in his side to his brother, son, best friend – all of the above. He wouldn't lose him because it was an impossible scenario not even to be considered.

"Oh," Mac sighed and Jack watched as tiny slivers of blue emerged. Those eyes locked onto Jack and stayed there. It was the heaviest look anyone had ever given him. There was so much hidden within – pain, fear, sadness, but more than anything a desperate plea for Jack to take away all the hurt not just from the internal injuries slowly taking his boy from him but from everything. If Jack could take all of that sorrow and agony and endure it himself so Mac wouldn't have to, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

"How are you feeling?" Cage asked softly. She was pale, too, but not nearly as bad as Mac. She was hiding her own pain well but they were all going to need a month long vacation after this. Hell, they might actually get it this time but Jack didn't know how much of a vacation it would be.

"Tired." Was Mac's simple reply, another lone tear running down his cheek. "Getting out?"

"Of course we are," Jack said. "If I know Riley the cavalry is already on its way. There's no way she hasn't gotten our message yet."

"What if," a painful sounding breath, "she didn't?"

"You doubt Riley?" Jack said, playing mock offense on behalf of their girl wonder.

"No." Mac said, his eyes trailing to the wreckage above him. "Can't."

"Can't what, Mac?" Jack asked fearfully. Jack would fight tooth and nail for the kid to survive but if Mac gave up, he didn't know what he would do.

"Keep looking."

"For your dad?" Cage asked. Mac nodded minutely.

"Useless."

"Come on, now." Jack said soothingly. "That's not true. You only just began looking, knowing _you _you're going to find him in a jiffy."

"Can't…doesn't want to be found…tired."

"No, you don't give up, Mac." Jack said sternly. "You are not a quitter and you're not going to quit now. You hear me?"

"Why…do you…care?"

"Because I care about you, that's why." Jack said, and this time a few tears did escape his own eyes. He didn't care enough to brush them away. He didn't care if they were still talking about the kid's absentee father or his will to live in that moment, Jack wasn't going to lay there and listen to his kid give up.

"Wish you…were my dad."

Jack choked back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm him. He was known for sometimes being overly emotional but that didn't matter. He could physically see Mac slipping away. That was goodbye level shit. They didn't do goodbye level shit.

"You have no idea how much I do, too." Jack said, brokenly. "But we're not doing the goodbye thing, right now, Mac. I won't allow it. Riley sent help, I know it. They're on their way. You just have to hold on, man. Alright, hold on."

A faint, sad smile played on Mac's lips. "Sorry." He said before he exhaled slowly and something left his eyes.

His chest stilled.

"No," Jack cried out and he couldn't quite comprehend Mac's blank expression. He lunged forward as much as he could and shook Mac hard. His head lolled but there was no other movement at all.

Jack could only stare.

"Jack, he stopped breathing." Cage's desperate voice jolted him from his stupor and he immediately pressed his fingers against the pulse point on Mac's throat. He couldn't feel anything and his own heartbeat seemed to falter.

No.

He moved his fingers over a little and pressed in harder. YES! There is was, it was faint but it was there.

"He still has a pulse." Jack said. "Mac, don't you dare do this, man, don't you dare do this to me."

He tried to pull himself up enough to begin rescue breathing but it was no use, he was too far away.

"Dammit, I can't reach him!" He exclaimed in frustration. He watched as Cage tried to pull herself farther through the bars but she couldn't get close enough.

Tires skidding on the gravel startled Jack out of his panic. He tried to see through the holes in the wreckage as doors slammed shut and footsteps approached from outside. Suddenly, a familiar face popped into view – Evan Holmes, one of the best medic's the Phoenix had to offer, and usually the one assigned to Mac and Jack's cases.

Jack watched as Evan quickly took in their conditions, when his eyes landed on Mac they widened and he pulled himself into the wreckage.

"He's not breathing," Jack supplied desperately and Evan pulled an oxygen mask from his bag. He pressed the mask over Mac's face and pressed on the blue balloon attached to it. Jack's attention immediately went back to Mac's chest which was now rising in time with Evan squeezing the bag.

"How long has he been like this?" Evan asked.

"Thirty seconds," Cage supplied. Evan nodded before another medic from Phoenix appeared.

"What have we got?" The newcomer was Janet Bayberry, lead medic for Phoenix. She was in her late fifties and as crotchety as they come but Jack had never been happier to see her. As far as he knew, she had never lost an agent and wasn't about to now so close to retirement.

"MacGyver wasn't breathing when I arrived; unaided respirations ended approximately thirty seconds before resuscitation began. I have been unable to determine anything else since administering immediate oxygen."

"Dalton?" Janet asked sternly.

"We believe he has massive internal bleeding from his spleen, ma'am." Jack jumped into his explanation immediately. It felt good to have someone else take control of the situation for a minute. Following orders and passing on vital information down the chain of command he could to, watching Mac bleed to death and stop breathing when there was no way to help him he could not. "We are unsure of any other injuries."

"What about you and Cage?"

"I have a concussion and Cage has a broken leg." Jack said truthfully. Normally he would try to underplay his injuries, same as Mac would, but Jack had a rule – if Mac was too hurt to be able to underplay, then Jack wouldn't either for fear of causing more harm to the situation by keeling over at the wrong time. Phoenix medics were experts in triage. They wouldn't stop helping the more injured party, usually Mac, if Jack was honest but not telling the truth had hurt Mac once and he wouldn't do it again. "We're all stuck."

"Yes," Janet said slowly, calculating. "Reinforcements are right behind us, they'll have the equipment necessary to get you all out."

"Can you hold this?" Evan asked, gesturing toward the oxygen mask. Jack immediately took hold of the firm plastic and began giving Mac breaths at the same intervals Evan had. "Good, don't stop doing that unless I tell you."

"Copy that," Jack said. He would breathe for Mac for the rest of eternity if he had to. Evan immediately began pulling things out of his bag and checking all of Mac's other vitals.

"Hear rate low, BP is nearly non-existent and respirations are one hundred percent aided. Starting an IV and pushing fluids, now." Evan listed and none of it sounded promising to Jack. As soon as Evan placed an IV in Mac's free arm, instructing Cage to hold up the bag of clear liquid, he reached down and lifted Mac's shirt up as much as he could under the bar crossing over his stomach.

Jack could see the nearly black bruises extending down from the portion of his abdomen that was trapped. Evan pressed his fingers along the bottom of the bruises and then moved to Mac's abdomen above the metal. As soon as Evan pressed down, Mac immediately sputtered back into life. He coughed and jerked wildly against the mask over his face and the hands pressing down along his lower ribs.

Evan grabbed the mask from Jack's grasp and set it aside, redirecting his attention to Mac himself.

"Hey, Mac, you with me, buddy?" Evan asked as he pressed his fingers to Mac's neck and then pressed them against the side of Mac's face, forcing his head to turn so Mac would have to look at him. Mac's breathing was jerky and uncoordinated, painful, but his eyes opened and he frantically looked around, his gaze shifting from Evan towards where he knew Jack was.

"That's it, you've got it, keep breathing." Evan instructed. Mac winced and clenched his eyes shut as he tried to even out his breathing.

"I would say that's a yes for my next question about whether or not his abdomen is painful to the touch and guarded," Janet said.

Evan nodded before saying to his patient, "I won't do that again, Mac. I promise."

"Ow," was Mac's only response and Jack couldn't stop the bark of laughter that escaped, and it immediately transformed into a sob. Mac's head shifted down toward his partner and their eyes locked once again.

"J-jack?" Mac stuttered.

"I'm here, bud, I'm here." Jack soothed and he watched as Mac's hand flopped around. He immediately took it and held it still so he wouldn't pull out the IV. "Don't do that to me again, okay?"

"Do what?" Mac asked.

"Nothing, bud." Jack said with a sad smile. "Just keep breathing, all right?"

More tires on lose gravel and yelling voices appeared outside and Janet ducked out of the vehicle.

"Cavalry's here," Evan said with a comforting smile, Mac's only response was a faint twitch of his lips.

"Good," Jack said. "We'll be out of here in no time, Mac."

It was only because Jack was watching Mac's face like a hawk that he was the first one to notice. Mac's lips had been paler than normal the whole time they were trapped but now they were taking on a bluish tinge. Jack glanced down at the cool hand in his and turned it slightly to see his fingernails. They were also taking on an unhealthy bluish-grey.

"Evan," Jack said quietly and pointed with his head toward Mac's hand. Evan reached forward and gripped Mac's fingers, pressing on the nailbeds. Then he leaned down and pressed his ear to Mac's chest which was met with a pained grunt from their friend.

"Sorry, man." Evan said, lifting his head and leaning closer in front of Mac's face. "You having trouble breathing?"

Mac merely groaned and nodded, the movement tiny like he was trying to keep every inch of him as still as possible.

"I know I said I wouldn't do it again but I have to see if you have any broken ribs, you might have a pneumothorax. I need to be sure."

Mac nodded again, one miniscule dip of his chin. His eyes were glazed with unshed tears and Jack rubbed his thumb soothingly up and down the back of Mac's hand.

"Hey, bud, look at me, okay." Jack said and watched as Mac's eyes strayed until they found his.

"I ever tell you about Riley's theory about Cairo?" Jack continued. Mac blinked. "Well, our girl thinks 'Cairo' is just a cover for us skipping out on a mission."

One of Mac's eyebrows lifted slightly and Evan started examining down Mac's chest, looking for injuries.

"I'm not kidding, she thinks we were given a mission in Cairo and instead of going we went to the beautiful beaches of Fiji or Bora Bora instead, and then when it came time for the debriefing we made up Cairo being the worst mission ever so we wouldn't have to talk about it."

Mac did smile then, which made it a little easier for Jack to breathe, himself.

"I told her that's ridiculous. Did she really believe that our big hero, boy scout, wonder kid would ditch out on an opportunity to save lives for a little R&R but she's still convinced. What do you think about that?"

"Wu-hhnnn" Mac started to reply but Evan must have found whatever was causing the difficulty breathing because Mac immediately tried to curl away, even though he couldn't get very far.

"Dammit, man," Jack said to Evan. "Why don't you back off a little?"

"You know I had to, Jack." Evan said. "We've got a problem."

"Yeah, no duh." Jack said, Mac's hand was squeezing Jack's almost to the point of pain but there was no way in hell Jack was going to complain. He'd let the kid break all of his fingers in both hands if it helped.

"He definitely has a few broken ribs; the real problem is blood's gathering around his lungs causing the breathing difficulties." Evan explained and then tapped on Mac's shoulder to get his attention. Mac opened his eyes accusingly. Even though he knew nobody currently in the wreckage would actively try to hurt him, the blood loss and lack of oxygen was taking its toll big time.

"Mac, listen to me. I'm going to help you breathe a little bit easier, okay? You just have to trust me. I'm going to put this mask back over your face and give you some more oxygen. It's going to feel weird but just breathe with it." Mac nodded, his lips a deeper shade of purple-blue. Evan placed the handheld oxygen mask back over Mac's nose and lips and pressed on the balloon. As the forced air gave Mac a deeper breath then he'd been able to do on his own, the pain in his chest sharpened and he slammed his eyes shut again.

"Can you take over?" Evan asked. "I need to go out there and tell them to move their asses."

Jack winced. He really didn't want to be the one to cause his brother more pain but he knew it was important. He nodded and Evan gently passed the mask over to him. Jack pressed on the balloon over and over again and hated it every time Mac winced in response. Evan disappeared out of the side of the wreckage.

"Wuhn" Mac's gasp startled Jack and he nearly dropped the mask.

"What was that, bud? Maybe you shouldn't talk."

"Wund" Mac was insistent and Jack lifted the mask for a second to let the kid say what he so desperately needed to say.

"Wunderkind." Mac said between pants. "Not wonder kid."

"I beg to differ, kiddo." Jack said, shushing him by replacing the mask back over his face. "Just shut up and let me do all the work as per usual, huh?"

Mac rolled his eyes but his color was getting a little better, a little less blue, with the respiratory assistance.

"So what did happen in Cairo?" Cage asked, honestly Jack had forgotten she was back there. One quick glance in her direction saw her leaning against the metal separating them.

"Oh no, we don't talk about Cairo." Jack said with a wink toward Mac who rolled his eyes once again.

"They're getting you out now." Evan said, peeking in and it was the best news Jack had heard all day. "We have a medevac coming to get you guys. I'm thinking you three are going to need a bit more than some TLC in Phoenix medical after this one."

Jack listened closely and above the chatter outside he could hear the rotor blades of the chopper as it approached their location. He let out a sigh of relief that Mac was going to be getting some real care soon. The primitive first aid they had been able to provide still stuck in the wreckage was nothing compared to the full trauma team Jack knew Matty had on standby for their boy. As soon as the medevac landed, the engineers were ready with the Jaws of Life.

They cut Cage out first because she was the easiest to get to and had her packed in an ambulance and headed for the hospital in less than two minutes. Jack watched and helped Mac breathe as their rescuers discussed how to get Mac free. They were able to go in from the windshield and cut the bar across his ankles and then easily freed his trapped arm. The one they were having trouble with was the one that had caused all their problems in the first place, the one across Mac's abdomen. The trouble was, no one knew how much pressure the metal was placing on him or if that pressure was stopping him from bleeding out faster. If it was, as soon as they got him free, they were going to have to hurry.

No matter what they had to get him out of the vehicle so they took a chance and cut through the rest of the metal. With Mac finally free, they pulled him out as quickly as possible and began readying him for travel.

Within seconds, Jack was cut free himself and climbing out of their ruined transport. As soon as his feet hit the pavement he collapsed to his knees next to Mac who was gasping for breath, now. Jack's hand found Mac's and he held on tight even though Mac's grip was significantly weaker.

Once they had Mac secured to a spinal board, they hoisted him up. Jack stood, too, and nearly face planted when the world spun sickeningly around him. He knew he was going to crash soon but he still had to be there for his kid. He raced behind the paramedics and jumped into the helicopter. No one questioned him and Jack assumed that was also the work of Miracle Matty, Matty's nickname when she wasn't causing his life to be miserable a la Matty the Hun.

The ride in the chopper did nothing to help Jack's skull crushing migraine. As soon as they cut off Mac's shirt it was clear how badly injured he had been. His whole torso was basically one gigantic, terrifying bruise. He nearly lost his lunch when the paramedics shoved a giant needle into Mac's chest even though it did seem to help the kid breathe easier. Jack was just happy Mac had passed out once they got in the air. He knew how bad his fear of heights was and it only got worse when he was in pain.

They were at the hospital in no time and as soon as the landing gear touched down on the roof, the door slid open and Mac was gone. Jack jumped out as well and fell to his knees once more, the world tilting at strange angles. Hands were on him but he pushed them away and bolted toward the door, following Mac, he would always follow Mac.

He was intercepted at the door to the trauma room and could only catch a glimpse of his boy through the flutter of anxious activity buzzing around him. The only part of Mac he could see was his face, translucent like he was dead already and watched in horror as someone shoved a tube down his throat.

"You have to come with me, sir." Someone was saying, still pulling on his arm, but Jack pulled away, hands pressed to the window. An alarm blared inside.

"Your son is in good hands, please follow me." The voice was driving up the pain in his head and he clenched his eyes shut. He couldn't leave Mac, not like this, what if he died and Jack wasn't there?

"Jack!" This voice was familiar and Jack jolted, a small hand pressed against his lower back comfortingly. "Come with me."

Matty.

She was there and Jack sighed, a tear falling down his cheek as Mac was pushed out of another set of doors. With the room empty, there was no reason for Jack to stay. He wasn't crazy, he knew he couldn't stay with the kid for the surgery he needed so he let Matty guide him away.

He found himself pushed into another room and plopped down on one of the gurneys. He leaned forward and pressed his hands against his eyes. Someone started poking at his head and he flinched, knocking the hands away roughly.

"Jack!" Matty said again. "Let this nice girl help you and stop causing problems."

Jack looked up. The girl in question couldn't have been any older than Mac. She had stepped away from him and she looked wary, she was wearing a white hospital coat and blue gloves and her hands were raised to seem less threatening. Jack immediately felt bad, she didn't deserve his rage.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's no problem," the girl said and stepped forward. He let her tend to the cut on his head, holding back any signs of his own pain. "You're going to need a CT scan."

"No," he said simply. "I need to hear about Mac, how's he doing?"

"It's too soon to tell." Matty said patiently. Obviously, he had only been taken into surgery a few minutes ago. "But when there's news, you'll be the first to know.

Jack nodded and the room flipped completely upside down. Before he knew it, he'd fallen forward into the doctor's unsuspecting arms and then he was on the ground, unrecognizable voices above him as he stared at the ceiling. He watched as the light above him dimmed and darkness overtook his vision and hoped with everything he had left that Mac would still be alive when he woke up.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I hope you can forgive me for any inaccuracies, and I'm sure there are plenty of those, for I am but a simple dummy!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Oh, what an opportunity missed. This is a whumpified version of the accident at the end of 2x04, X-Ray+Penny. Also, let's just say that when Murdoc attacked them they were closer to Phoenix and in a more remote location than in the episode. I don't want the paramedics getting there too fast, gives us more time to explore the whump.

**So Close, and Yet So Very Far**

**Chapter Three**

Riley hated waiting.

That was the worst part when she was stuck in the war room while her family, the most important people in the world to her, were out there in danger or hurt and she couldn't be there for them.

This time, however, instead of having to wait in the war room she found herself in a hospital waiting room. That was so much worse.

As soon as Matty got word that everyone was being taken to the hospital and not coming to Phoenix medical to get checked out, they were in a car and racing toward the hospital in a matter of seconds. There wasn't much news, just that the crash had been a bad one and everyone was injured – Mac especially.

Riley's heart bled for Mac. He didn't deserve anything this day had thrown at him. The fact that he might not survive it…no, Riley wouldn't even consider humoring that idea for a second. Mac would survive, he always survived.

As soon as Riley and Matty got to the hospital, they watched as the helicopter carrying their family landed. They raced inside and Matty immediately passed through the "Hospital Personnel ONLY Beyond This Point" sign. With nothing to do but wait, Riley sat on one of the ugly brown chairs in the waiting room and began to do just that.

Matty didn't come back for a while and when she finally did, she looked uncharacteristically terrified. Matty never looked terrified. She held it together better than anyone else Riley knew, Mac and Jack included.

"How are they?" Riley asked, fearing the answer.

"It's not good." Matty said, sitting in the chair beside her.

"Are they going to be okay?" Riley asked again.

"Cage and Jack should recover fully." That didn't sound good, and she was leaving someone rather important out.

"What about Mac?"

Matty didn't say anything, just continued to stare ahead, not blinking. Riley twisted her hands together until she felt a smaller one reach over and take one. The two woman glanced at each other, shared a nervous smile, and sat back to continue waiting.

Bozer was still processing Henry Fletcher's house when he got the call.

Honestly, the whole situation with Fletcher seemed like something out of a movie and Bozer was secretly pissed that he hadn't thought of it himself. Even though he had temporarily put his budding film career on hold, he still couldn't stop the part of his mind that turned everything into a script.

He knew exactly what the story would be, too. The scene would open on a helicopter pad on top of a sky scraper in Hong Kong, night. Dashingly handsome and heroic Will Dozer would be standing on the edge of the building in a dapper, three piece tuxedo faced with an impossible choice – give up the diamonds or jump off the roof to certain death. The choice was easy; he would never release the diamonds back to the Chinese mafia so he jumped. Half way down the building, he extended his arms to release bat-like wings sown into the sides of his suit, attached to his arms and would glide safely down to his yellow Lamborghini with side rising doors.

Bozer snapped another photo but before he could mentally continue the playing out in his head his cell phone rang. He answered it on the second ring.

It was Riley.

"Riley, have I ever told you that you should be in movies?" He asked and waited her for snarky reply.

It never came.

"Bozer." She said, her tone serious. Bozer sobered immediately, awesome spy movie forgotten.

"What is it?" He asked, straightening and clutching the phone hard.

"There was an accident."

"Oh god," Bozer said. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"You have to get to the UCLA Medical Center right now, Matty sent a car for you." She said.

"Riley, what happened?" Bozer insisted. "Tell me right now."

"Murdoc got to Fletcher." Riley said. "He used a rocket launcher and blew up their transport. It's bad, Bozer, just get here."

"Is Mac okay?"

"Bozer, get here." Riley said, her voice breaking, but Bozer needed to know. He was already leaving the house and getting in the car Matty had sent for him. He would be there soon but in the meantime he had to know if his friends were going to be okay, if Mac was.

"I'm on my way." He told her.

"Good, I don't know much but Cage has a broken leg, Jack's having a CT scan done for a serious concussion, and Mac…" Her voice caught on his name and Bozer closed his eyes, gulping.

"What about Mac, Riley?" Bozer asked, he needed to know but he was absolutely terrified of the answer.

"He's in surgery, that's all I know." Riley said. He could hear that she was crying softly, trying hard to keep it from showing in her voice.

"He'll be okay," Bozer told her trying to convince himself as much as her. There was no other option. He couldn't lose another brother. It almost killed him the first time and Mac had been the only one who had helped him come back from the bad place he had gone to after that fateful day all those years ago. If he lost Mac…he would lose his mind completely. Mac was his best friend. He would never do that to him.

"I know." Riley said. "Of course he will be, he's Mac. He's always fine. He's probably inventing new tools to perform his own surgery more effectively."

"Right, like a new scalpel that is made out of toothpicks and a cell phone and doesn't leave a scar." Bozer joined in. He could hear Riley laugh and then sniff loudly.

"Or a new sterilizing solution made out of moth balls and chlorine." She added.

"Exactly, he's in there driving everyone crazy because he made some kind of anesthesia out of olive oil, vanilla extract, and dish detergent that allows you to stay awake during surgery and he's giving everyone instructions on how to make this stuff."

"And while he's at it he's inventing a cure for shingles using only a ball point pen."

"That's exactly what he's doing." Bozer said. "Because that's what Mac does, right."

"Right." She said.

When Bozer finally arrived at the hospital, he found Riley and Matty in the waiting room and took the seat beside Riley's. She looked at him with so much fear. He had been able to trick his mind for a minute and forgot that Mac actually wasn't doing all those things. His heartrate kicked up a notch and tears filled his eyes. Riley reached over and took his hand in hers. She gave him a small smile and rested her head on his shoulder. He glanced over her head at Matty who took a deep breath and gave him a small, reassuring nod.

It gave Bozer a lot of comfort that they were all three of them in this together. No matter what happened, they would get through it all. They'd help their friends get better, and they would get better, and then this would become a distant, horrible memory that they would never talk about again – just like the mysterious Cairo.

Bozer just kept repeating that over and over again – they would all get through this.

All of them.

After what felt like hours, someone finally came out to update them on their friends.

Riley felt like a rubber band pulled to tightly, ready to snap at any moment. They all stood as a woman in blue scrubs walked up to the small group.

"I'm Doctor Miller," she introduced herself. "Which one of you is Matilda Webber?"

"I am," Matty said, stepping forward. "How are my agents?"

"Agent Cage has a transverse fracture of the femur. She's in surgery now to stabilize the break with a few pins. It will take up to six months for her to heal completely but with physical therapy she should recover full mobility in the limb. Agent Dalton is still unconscious but a CT scan showed that he doesn't have a skull fracture but he did receive a grade 3 concussion. He also has extensive bruising on the lower half of his body which will make it very painful for him to walk for a few weeks. With time, he too will recover completely."

"And Agent MacGyver?" Matty asked.

"Agent MacGyver is still in emergency surgery. I'm afraid his injuries are quite a bit more severe than Agent's Cage and Dalton."

"What can you tell us about the nature of those injuries?" Matty asked, she was trying to hide it but Riley could hear the slight waver in her voice. Riley had stopped breathing completely and it looked like Bozer was ready to keel over from pure anxiety.

"It seems the most serious injury was a lacerated spleen that caused massive internal bleeding. They were unable to save the organ and had to do an emergency splenectomy. Luckily, the human body can survive without it and many people live full, healthy lives without one. He also had several broken ribs, one of which punctured his left lung. They've inserted a chest tube and stabilized the breaks. His right shoulder was also dislocated along with a hairline fracture to his right wrist. He also has some serious bone bruising on both ankles. I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of such bad news but the prognosis is good. He's young and healthy, with time he will be right back to the young man he was before the accident."

Riley felt lightheaded at the seemingly endless list. Poor Mac, she thought, this was going to be such a painful recovery. At least he had all of them to help him through it, and at least he was alive. That was all that mattered.

Bozer fell back into his chair, his face pale.

"You said he was still in surgery," Matty said. "How long will it be before we can see him?"

"They're finishing up checking to make sure they caught all of the internal bleeding. Once that's done, he'll be in recovery for a few hours. I would say you should be able to see him by morning."

Matty nodded, "And what about my other two agents?"

"Agent Cage's surgery will be done soon and then she'll be in recovery for about an hour. I would say you could go in and see her then. You can see Agent Dalton right now if you'd like."

"We would," Matty said.

"All right, if you want to follow me I can take you to his room."

"They're going to be okay," Matty told Riley and Bozer as they followed Dr. Miller down the hall and to Jack's private room.

And for the first time since the whole ordeal began, that finally seemed true.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I hope you can forgive me for any inaccuracies, and I'm sure there are plenty of those, for I am but a simple dummy!


	4. Chapter 4

**So Close, and Yet So Very Far**

**Chapter Four**

There was a time in Jack's life when he still woke up confused about where he was when he woke up in a hospital. A lifetime of injuries ranging from Mere-Nuisance to the occasional Life-Threatening had caused waking up to a beeping heart monitor in a too-bright sterile room just another morning for him.

This was different, though. If he had been the only one injured, it would have been fine, non-concerning even, but when Mac was hurt too, and so often hurt worse, waking up tied to a hospital bed was like entering one of the nine circles of hell.

Mental awareness came back before he could open his eyes or move. He used that time to listen for any sign, the tiniest shred of proof of life that Mac was still with them.

He had to be, Jack would know if Mac had died. He would feel it in the very marrow in his bones. He felt it in the moments after Mac stopped breathing in the truck, he felt it for what seemed like an eternity in Cairo, so he knew what it would feel like and he didn't feel it now.

That had to be a good thing, right?

The lights were dimmed when he could finally crack his eyes open a hair. A familiar tapping sound had him glancing to his right to find Riley hunkered down in a chair beside his bed with her laptop open on her lap. Her brow was furrowed as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

"Hey, Ri." He said softly so he wouldn't startle her. It didn't work and as soon as the first syllable left his mouth she jumped violently. That would have been hilarious if the day hadn't sucked so much.

"Jack," she said, collecting herself quickly and closing the screen. She leaned forward and balled her hands together in poorly concealed anxiety. "I'm so glad you're finally awake."

"How is he?" Jack said, his heart rate picking up in pace. "Tell me he's still alive."

"He's alive," Riley said quickly and Jack's whole body sagged in relief. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back to the overly starched pillow. "Everyone's alive."

"Where is he," Jack asked, sitting up and reaching over to take out his IV. It was one thing to hear that Mac was okay, but Jack needed to see him for himself. He flipped the blankets off his lap and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The room tilted and he had to catch himself before he toppled over. "How bad was it? What are they saying? Is he awake?"

"Woah, woah, Jack, slow down." Riley said, her hand darting out to rest against his shoulder. "He's in the ICU, okay? He's out of surgery but he's still unconscious. Bozer's with him now and Matty had to go back to Phoenix to update Oversight on everything. Cage is awake and already pestering the doctors to release her. Everything's okay right now. Just lay back down."

"I need to see him for myself," Jack said. "I have to, the last time I saw him he was dying and couldn't breathe on his own. He looked like he was already dead. I have to see for myself."

Jack didn't miss when Riley winced and her eyes darted away from his. He leaned closer but she wouldn't look him in the eyes. She was leaving something out, he knew it.

"What is it?" Jack said. "If you left something out…"

"He really will be okay, Jack." Riley said. "But he's still not breathing on his own."

"Why not," Jack asked loudly. "I'm getting out of here right now."

"Wait; just let the doctor check on you before you do. I'll bring you to his room myself." Riley said. "He lost a lot of blood and there was severe damage to one of his lungs. They fixed it but his body was so deeply in shock it's too weak to do it on its own so they're helping him. That's why. They say he should be off it within the next day or two, I promise."

"Dammit, kid." Jack said and wiped a shaky hand down his face. He never did things halfway, that was for sure.

"Wait here," Riley said, standing. She placed the laptop on the chair and held up her hands as if trying to calm a rowdy, untamed stallion. "I'll get the doctor."

He watched as she left the room. As soon as she was gone, he felt his eyes prickle uncomfortably. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into them as hard as he could without causing permanent damage to his eyesight and tried to control the tidal wave of emotions ripping through his chest.

It was all his fault.

He never should have left Mac alone in Paris; he never should have ignored his many phone calls. He never should have let Mac out of his sight, not with how distracted he was looking for his dad.

Emotions were more dangerous than the bomb at your feet. He'd heard Mac use the expression before. It was the most important lesson he learned in EOD training and it had saved both of their lives countless times. Mac wasn't facing a bomb while looking for his dad but he was certainly emotionally compromised because of it. It was supposed to be Jack's job to protect the kid when his big heart got in the way of logical thinking.

He knew Mac would never let his guard down when it came to protecting others, but he didn't have the same instinct when it came to his own safety. Jack wanted Mac to find his dad, for the kid's sake but also to give Jack the opportunity to officially punch the man in the face as hard as he could for what he did to Mac, for making the kid feel disposable and unwanted.

And lastly, he should have never let his guard down after they caught Fletcher. Not when Murdoc was still out there somewhere. He knew what Mac would say, that it wasn't his fault because nobody could have seen Murdoc's rocket launcher attack coming, but because of that rocket launcher attack Mac wasn't conscious or breathing. Because of Jack's mistake, Mac had suffered so much pain in that ruined truck and Jack could do nothing but watch as his best friend, brother, son, all of the above, bled so much internally his body couldn't handle its normal functions without direct medical interventions.

That was on Jack and even though he knew when Mac woke up he would never blame him, Jack would bear that responsibility anyway.

The one thing Jack knew beyond everything else was that he was never letting the kid out of his sight again. If Mac had complained about Jack's helicopter parenting being too overbearing before, he was going to learn just how protective Jack could really be.

"Mr. Dalton," a short woman in scrubs, at least ten years Jack's senior, walked in with a clipboard in hand. Riley was right behind her. "My name is Dr. Anderson. I hear you're trying to escape on me."

"No ma'am," Jack said. "I just have to see my partner. His name is Angus MacGyver. He's a patient here, too. Do you know anything about his condition?"

"Angus MacGyver," Dr. Anderson repeated quietly and began flipping through the various papers attached to the metal clipboard. "Ah, yes, I have him right here. I apologize, we just had a shift change and I haven't been on since you all arrived.'

"That's okay," Jack said. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Mr. MacGyver." Dr. Anderson began.

"Mac." Jack and Riley said at the same time.

"Just call him Mac." Jack explained.

"Alright, Mac, is in the ICU and if you let me check to make sure that concussion of yours isn't getting any worse than you can be up there with him in a matter of minutes. How does that sound?"

Her warm smiled lessoned some of the fear trying to suffocate Jack. He nodded in gratitude and sat silently as she walked him through several neurological tests. He only winced when she shined a light brighter than the sun in his eyes.

"Sorry, darlin'" She said with a sympathetic wince of her own. "But you'll be happy to know I'm giving you the all clear to go up and be with your boy. You'll have to go up in a wheelchair, you're on some pretty strong meds so you probably can't feel how sore your legs are right now, and I can tell by the fact that you're wobbling a little just sitting there that your equilibrium is still being effected by the concussion, so no complaints about getting a free ride."

"Yes ma'am," Jack said again, whatever got him to Mac the quickest, and Dr. Anderson nodded contentedly. "Let me just get that chair and we'll have you up in a jiffy."

"Thank you," Jack said with genuine gratitude. At least something was going right for a change. As relieved as he was that he would be able to see Mac alive with his own two eyes again, he was equally terrified. He had seen Mac pretty bad before and it never got easier. Usually, Jack was comforted by the fact that he had done all that he could do to protect him. This time, he was gonna be going in there with the guilt. That always made it harder.

"She's nice," Riley said thoughtfully when the woman left to get the wheelchair.

"She is," Jack agreed but Riley could tell his mind was with Mac already. She sat down in the chair again. "Have you seen him yet?"

"I did," Riley said sadly. "He looked bad, Jack."

Jack glanced at her to find big brown eyes filling with tears. He frowned at that and reached for her hand. As soon as they interlocked, Jack pulled her over to his bed. He was still sitting with his legs over the edge so they were shoulder to shoulder when she sat down beside him. He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

"Hey, now," Jack comforted. "You said it yourself, he's gonna be fine."

"I know," Riley said with an audible sniff. She swiped away a lose tear that had slid its way down her cheek. "I just don't like seeing him like that, you know?"

"I know," Jack said. "Believe me I know. But he has all of us and we're gonna be with him every step of the way. We're going to do everything we can to help him get better."

"And then we're never letting him leave our sight again?" Riley said.

"Exactly, we're going to be on him like flies on a pile of day old manure." Jack agreed and smiled when Riley laughed.

"He's going to hate that you just called him that." Riley said.

"Well, he doesn't have to know about it." Jack said with wink and held her a little tighter.

"Here's your ride," Riley said when Dr. Anderson was back with the wheelchair.

"Let's go see our boy." Jack said and let Riley and the doctor help him stand and get situated in the cushioned seat. He closed his eyes when they left his room with the dimmed lights and entered the brightly lit hallway but he didn't care about the sharp pain in his head or the soreness he was now starting to feel in his legs.

All he cared about was getting to the person who needed him most and that he could finally see for himself that his boy was still alive.

It never got easier to see Mac in the hospital.

Of course, it was worse to see him injured in the field because at least if he was in the hospital he was getting the care he needed but still, it sucked.

Bozer was sitting by Mac when Jack was wheeled in. He was leaning forward in the chair, his elbows on the bed and his chin in his hands. He was watching his best friend's face so closely, clearly unwilling to miss any sign of movement, other than the mechanical rise and fall of Mac's chest.

"I'll give you all a minute," Dr. Anderson said before retreating out of the privacy curtain that was half pulled back.

Jack felt his face pale when he saw how much stuff Mac was attached to. Leads attached to machines that disappeared under the collar of his hospital gown, drains and IVs, but worst of all was the blue plastic tube that disappeared down Mac's throat.

"Oh bud," Jack exhaled and Bozer glanced back at his friends, sorrow in his eyes.

"Hey, Jack." Bozer greeted, his voice barely above a whisper, as if any sudden loud sounds might mess up the delicate balance keeping everything from descending into chaos. "How're you doing?"

"I'm okay, man." Jack said. "I'll be a lot better when he's up and talking."

"Me too," Bozer said. "I hate not being able to do anything. I feel so helpless just sitting here."

"Nah," Jack said. "You're doing something just by being there with him."

"Still, I wish I could do more. Bozer said and stood. He pushed his chair out of the way and Riley pushed Jack close to the side of Mac's bed. "I do know one thing, though. I know he'll feel better with you with him. They don't want too many people in here so I'll go sit with Cage so she's not alone. Just let me know if anything changes and I'll be right back."

Jack wasn't listening anymore and didn't hear Bozer leave. It didn't matter who was still there or what else was happening, all that mattered was the pale boy in front of him. Now that he was so close, he could see the fine lines around Mac's eyes, between his eyebrows. It would be easy to miss but Jack knew his kid, he was in pain - even unconscious and breathing through a tube. The poor kid could never catch a break.

Jack reached out and grasped Mac's hand in both of his. His skin was cool to the touch and still a little clammy. Jack rubbed Mac's hands between his to try to generate some heat. The other hand was lying across his stomach, his whole arm in a dark blue sling.

"His shoulder was dislocated," Riley explained gently, she hadn't moved any closer to them and was still hanging out around the curtain.

"What else?" Jack asked.

"A doctor should really be the one to explain everything." Riley insisted but Jack just shook his head. He didn't want the mumbo jumbo medical jargon he could never understand. He just wanted to know how bad it had been, still was.

"Okay," she said. "There's the dislocated shoulder and broken wrist, and some bad bruising around his ankles. Broken ribs and the injuries to his lungs and…"

"And?" Jack asked as Riley hesitated.

"They stopped the internal bleeding but he doesn't have a spleen anymore, Jack."

"Geez," Jack sighed. "I'm so sorry, bud."

"They said he can live without it." Riley continued. "A lot of people do."

"I know," Jack said sadly. "It's just that none of this should have happened to Mac."

"Yeah," Riley agreed sadly.

"He didn't make it seem like it was this bad." Jack said. "He was in so much pain but he never complained. He even talked me through how to make that wireless telegraph."

"I figured that was him." Riley said. "I'm impressed he could still be that creative after everything."

"That's just Mac." Jack said. "His brain never shuts off, which has saved all of our lives too many times to count."

"I know," Riley said. "He worries about us so much and he always gets us out of tight spots I'm sure we won't survive, I just wish we could do the same for him more often."

"I learned very quickly after meeting him that he will always be ten steps ahead of everyone else. It's our job to run after him and try to keep up - to watch out for him and catch him when he falls, even though it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"I don't know how to handle it." Riley admitted.

"Well, luckily it doesn't go this bad very often." Jack said, reaching out a hand to brush back an errant strand of blond hair that had flipped onto Mac's forehead. He kept his hand there and continued the comforting motion. Even though Mac would never admit it in a million years, he knew this was the best thing he could do to sooth away Mac's pain or fear. Maybe it was something his mother used to do when he was a kid, before she died, that is. He would never ask, but it worked like a charm every time. "But when it does, you just find a way."

"He's lucky to have you." Riley said. Jack frowned at that, not knowing for sure if he believed it or not.

"He's going to need all of us to help him through this one, I think." Jack said. "But he's strong, he'll come back to us when he's good and ready and he won't let this knock him down for too long."

"I hope your right," Riley said. "We still need him."

"We're always going to need him." Jack corrected. "He would never leave us behind; he wouldn't do that to us."

Jack saw out of the corner of his eye as Riley finally moved closer and made her way around Mac's bed. Being incredibly cautious about all of the medical stuff, she leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to Mac's forehead.

"Come back to us, Mac." She whispered. "Don't make us wait too long."

The first sensation Mac was aware of was pressure on his chest, and then warmth surrounding his hand. The next was the comforting motion of someone brushing his hair away from his forehead with their fingers.

The rest of him was numb.

Broken fragments of memories followed.

Pain and crushing and twisted metal flashed through his brain.

He tried to move, to get away from the growing pain blossoming randomly throughout his body but he felt like he was trapped in quicksand and sinking faster and faster and there was nothing around that he could use to pull himself back up.

He could feel the bed under his body but it was like he was on a rapidly descending elevator and at any second he might fall straight through the bottom of the bed and fall and fall and keep falling forever.

The strong hand surrounding his tightened, possibly sensing the struggle happening within him and he latched onto it like an anchor. He wouldn't fall if that hand kept him safely on the ground.

The soft brush of lips against his cool forehead was another shred of comfort in the darkness. He knew who it was surrounding him and wanted to open his eyes, see them with his own eyes and make sure they were okay, but he couldn't move at all.

He wanted to tell them that they were the only things keeping him from slipping away. He wanted to tell them that he was afraid for them to let go because he didn't know if he was strong enough to hang on without their help. He wanted to tell them all of these things but the ground was trying to swallow him up whole again.

"Come back to us," the voice begged him. "Don't make us wait too long."

I'm trying, guys, I'm trying.

Please don't let go.

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Jack."

Jack jumped at the voice behind him. He turned to find Matty's crestfallen face as her eyes locked on Mac's still form. She stood frozen by the curtain and Jack wondered what had happened to the hardened woman he met so long ago. Jack knew how much adversity she had faced, especially with her choice of profession, and knew that some of what he'd seen in her before was a carefully crafted defense mechanism, an unshakable façade pieced together out of necessity. The walls she built around herself were made of solid ice and she never let anyone or anything close enough to hurt her.

But she was clearly shaken now. That mask cracked into so many pieces all Jack could see was what had always been underneath – a woman torn apart inside because she couldn't do more to help the people closest to her.

It must be hard, Jack thought, to always have to stay behind. To be safe in the war room while her family went out and put their lives in danger to save the world every day. Having to watch on the monitor when things went south, hear it through comms…Jack knew he couldn't do it. She did more than she could ever know, though. She had pulled Jack's ass out of the fire more times than he could count. She'd put herself in danger countless times to protect the people in her command.

But it wasn't until Mac broke through that tough exterior that she finally started to let go of that stony disguise.

She was impressed with Bozer's willingness to stand up for what he thought was right, even against authority. She was impressed with Riley's tech savvy and had worked with Jack before which meant she knew how his brain worked, how he operated in the field, but Mac had been the odd one out at first. Matty was wary of him and his methods, which Jack could understand.

It took a second to get used to the way Mac's brain worked. He was a genius, like an honest to god, smartest man in any room, genius but more than that he was a creative genius. Mac could look at anything, understand everything about it and how it worked immediately, and then break it apart to build something completely useful and awesome out of it. More impressively, though, he could do it under extreme duress. It took seeing Mac in action, and having that awesome brain save his own life multiple times to trust that habit.

For Jack, having to trust the way Angus MacGyver did things had to do entirely on learning to trust his own life in Mac's brilliant hands and hope improvising through dangerous situations wouldn't be the thing that got him killed. Mac proved very quickly that he would never let anything happen to his friends and his improvising wasn't luck but carefully, well thought out skill.

For Matty, learning to trust Mac was having to put other people's lives in danger, including Mac's, and hoping like hell that the blond kid who liked to twist up paperclips into intricate shapes, was going to be able to come through for everyone when the cards were down and pull out something useful that could save them all.

Mac won Matty over just as quickly and efficiently as he had Jack. It wasn't just his skills, or that what he could accomplish with virtually nothing was more than luck, but his personality that finally did it.

Jack saw the way Matty looked at Mac. He saw the admiration and affection she felt for him. He saw something unwavering and maternal. Jack was the only one who knew Matty before she joined their team so he knew their little family made her a more openly happy person. He also knew how important that was to her.

That was what was so special about all of them being together. That was what made their team work. They were more than just coworkers, they were more than just teammates, they were an honest to goodness, with you till the end of the line, ride or die, stronger than blood family.

Mac was the heart and soul of that, the one who held them together, and there was no way they could lose him now. This wasn't going to end them, it couldn't. It wasn't time. There was too much left for him to do, for them all to do.

Matty tightened her jaw and walked forward when Jack didn't answer, just kept a tight hold on Mac's hand and stared at her with such heartbreak in his eyes.

"How's our boy doing?" She asked, placing a comforting hand on Jack' shoulder.

"He's holding on," Jack answered with a sigh. "They said they could take him off the vent as soon as tomorrow morning, then they can cut back on the sedative and he'll wake up."

"That's good," Matty said with a reassuring smile even though the doctor had already told her all of that. "How long have you been in here?"

"I haven't left." He said and Matty's heart broke a little more.

"It's been two days," she said and Jack looked startled by the news. "Have you eaten anything or slept?"

"Nah," Jack said. "I'm fine."

"Jack." Matty sank naturally back into her boss-voice. "You have to take care of yourself. You're no good to Mac if you keel over when he wakes up from exhaustion or starvation."

"I'm no good to Mac anyway," Jack said and Matty froze.

"What are you saying," she asked. "You've protected Mac better than anyone else in his life."

"I let this happen." Jack explained. "I left when he tried to push me away. He's been hurting and I don't think I helped it by proving to him that at the first opportunity I'll leave him, too. Then, I ignored his phone calls for hours which gave Murdoc the perfect opportunity to grab him. I was no help when it came to finding him, either. He had to do that himself, just like everything else in his life, and then, the cherry on top of the whole crapfest of me letting Mac down was letting my guard down before we were safe and getting our transport blown to hell which left me with a headache and some bruises but literally killed the kid I swore to protect. And now he's lying here, insides so badly damaged he can't breathe on his own and down an internal organ, because I failed him just like everyone else in his life. So, no Matty, I don't think I've protected him and I'm certainly no good to him regardless of if I eat or sleep."

"Jack," Matty started again, softer this time. "That's not…"

"And do you know what the real kicker is; I know he won't blame me for any of it. He'll only blame himself for what he said in France, and that he tried to push me away, because that's what he does. He blames himself, even down to thinking it's his fault his asshole father left him when he was a kid, and he'll be afraid that he's finally done the same thing to me and I'm going to leave him, too. I'm stuck because I would never leave him, not in a million years. I just can't. But I don't know if me being here is good for him or if I've only hurt him more."

"Jack, listen to me." Matty said, moving so she was directly in front of his chair, but not in the way of his and Mac's connected hands. "This was a bad couple of days, no one is denying that. But you have done nothing but love that kid right there for years. You stayed with him in Afghanistan, you stayed with him when you both got home, and stayed with him through missions and every moment in between, good or bad.

"You were right; he won't blame you because you are not the one to be blamed for any of this. You gave him space, that's what you should have done. He's an adult, he doesn't need someone right there with him every second of every day. He needed you to understand that he needed to be alone, and you gave him that, even though it went against every instinct you have.

"If you want to blame someone, blame Murdoc. He's the one who hurt Mac; you're the one who kept him alive. Mac wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. That doesn't sound like someone who shouldn't be in that kid's life to protect him. That sounds like the only person who should be in that kid's life to protect him."

Jack felt like his chest was cracking open. His head pounded in time with his racing heartbeat and he fought uselessly against the tears that blurred his vision. He pressed his free hand over his eyes and fought against the tidal wave threatening to break free. He knew Matty wouldn't judge him for crying but he was too afraid to let it all go. He was afraid he may never get himself under control again.

He lost the war a little and felt his face grow hot when some of the tears broke lose. They rapidly fell, dropping one after another onto his lap. Matty's arms tightened around him and he let his head fall against her shoulder, not caring if he should be embarrassed about the display of weakness in front of his boss or not.

"It's not your fault," Matty said again, her voice drenched in her own sadness.

"I can't lose him," Jack finally choked out, face crumpling as his defenses finally fell and everything he had been feeling finally came pouring out. "Not like this."

"We won't." Matty promised firmly and held on to shaking shoulders. They rode it out together until Jack finally got himself back under control. He pulled away and she handed him a handful of tissues she seemed to pull out of nowhere. The woman was a damn magician. He blew his nose loudly and threw them away in a small trashcan near the wall.

"Thanks," he said before adding, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about that little waterworks display."

"You're secret's safe with me, Dalton." Matty told him with a warm smile. "No one has to know how big of a softie you are, even though they already know."

"As soon as he's back on his feet I'm going after Murdoc." Jack said. Matty nodded, she already knew looking for the person responsible for all of this was going to take top priority.

"You'll have the full force of the Phoenix behind you," Matty told him and Jack nodded, determined.

"He won't get away again." Jack said.

"I know."

"Do you have to head out or are you staying for a bit?" Jack asked after a beat.

"I can stay for a while." Matty said, turning back toward their injured friend. She walked over and pulled the chair in the corner close to the bed and sat, her hand reaching out and resting on Mac's blanket clad knee.

"We've got you, Blondie." Matty promised. "Just hang in there."

Waking came in roller coaster hills and crashing waves.

A fun fact about roller coasters is that they don't need an engine to move. The reason why roller coasters start by being pulled up a giant hill is to build up enough potential energy for the downfall to carry it through the rest of the journey. It needs the fall in order be successful from that point on.

Sound filtered in, nothing recognizable at first, but soon the overlapping auditory input separated into individual noises – a steady beeping, footsteps hurriedly moving around, deep breathing beside him.

Mac listened carefully, processing the breathing as familiar, and he felt safer knowing Jack was near. The solid weight of Jack's hand around his another comfort.

His body felt heavy as if parts of him were buried under piles of rocks. It made every breath painful, difficult.

Where was he? What happened?

He remembered looking for more information on his dad in Paris, of pushing Jack away all for it just to be a dead end anyway. He remembered the guilt he felt on the plane ride home and the apologetic phone calls never answered. He remembered the sharp bite of the Taser at his neck and waking up chained to a chair, Murdoc's threats and excruciatingly detailed stories, and escaping?

He did escape, right?

He remembered escaping, and Jack coming for him despite everything, and going after Fletcher. Was any of that real or was he still in Murdoc's clutches, his mind having escaped to save him from the torture?

He remembered the pain, the twisted wreckage, of feeling like he was dying.

That had felt real.

But where was he now?

That was definitely Jack's soft snores, his calloused fingers wrapped around his own. It wasn't a delusion to escape Murdoc; he would be able to tell.

Opening his eyes in that moment was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. It felt like a monumental feat, an Olympic triumph, just to crack them open a centimeter. Everything was hazy but he could make out the ceiling tiles, the bright lights, and part of a curtain track. He'd spent enough time in the Phoenix infirmary to know that these weren't the same tiles, wasn't the same wattage of light, or the right color curtains, so he was in a hospital then. That was never a good sign.

The lead that must have replaced the blood in his veins made it hard to move, but he focused all of his potential energy into kinetic energy and gently squeezed the fingers attached to his.

"J-ck," Mac forced from his vocal cords, his throat felt sore and Sahara Desert dry. His voice was hoarse and unrecognizably weak to his own years. He winced at how pathetic it sounded and at the dawning realization of what it implied.

Luckily, he was saved from the hassle of having to try again because Jack jolted awake at his first, pathetic attempt.

"Mac," Jack called out as he woke, his eyes darting around until they landed on their entwined hands with Mac finally squeezing back. They jumped immediately to Mac's face and Jack's whole face lit up.

"You're awake," he said and leaned forward, his hand automatically pushing away the errant strands of blond from Mac's forehead. Mac leaned into the touch without realizing it. "How are you? Are you in any pain? It is good to see your eyes open again, homie."

"Jack." Mac said again, closing his eyes as his body began lighting up in random bursts of pain ranging from uncomfortable to downright agony. "Wh'hap'end?"

"That is a long story, hoss, one I'll be happy to tell you when a doctor comes in here, works their magic, and confirms you're still in one piece"

Mac couldn't help the wince as a particularly sharp pang ripped through his side. Jack leaned closer, pressed a button above his head, and continued the soothing, monotonous motion of brushing Mac's hair off his face.

"Just hold on, man, they'll give you some more of the good stuff soon. You'll be floating on a marshmallow cloud in no time.'

Mac could only pull his hand out of Jack's grip and wrapped it around his aching torso; his right arm appeared to be strapped down in a sling.

"You okay?" Mac croaked and watched as Jack's face crumpled with some unidentifiable emotion before smoothing out into his usual, easy grin.

"I'm just fine." Jack answered, wanting to run out and drag the first doctor he found in to check on his kid with how much pain was written on his face. He hadn't had a dose of the strong stuff since his vent was removed, and that was hours ago. They weren't even expecting him to wake up before at least a half a dozen more if not longer. "Everyone's fine. We're all just worried about you, is all."

"Murdoc?" Mac asked, a small groan escaping. He wanted to curl onto his side to escape the pain slowly but surely climbing up the Richter scale, but he couldn't move enough to do so. All he could do was clench his eyes shut and keep his body as still as possible. It felt like being in the wrecked truck all over again, metal pressing into hidden internal damage he didn't want to worry Jack and Cage with.

"He escaped, took off with Fletcher, but don't you worry about that right now, okay?" Jack said soothingly. "Just hold on, they'll be here soon."

"M'sorry 'bout France." Mac forced out, feeling lightheaded, the pain doing nothing to help his healing body. Where were those doctors, this was the ICU, right? "Was stupid."

"Hey, now, don't worry about that, either. It's all in the past, and I forgave you before I got back to the airport. It's all good, brother."

Jack sighed in relief when two doctors entered the room and made their way straight for Mac. He knew it had only been a few seconds since he'd hit the call button but any time watching a loved one in pain was too long.

"Mr. MacGyver, welcome back, I'm Dr. Einstein, and yes, that's my real name." The doctor said when Mac raised an eyebrow in disbelief despite the pain. "We're just going to take a few minutes to make sure everything's okay and then we'll see about managing this pain your feeling. How does that sound?"

"Great." Mac said honestly before Dr. Einstein turned to Jack.

"This is going to take a few minutes, why don't you head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I know you haven't eaten much of anything since you were discharged yesterday morning."

"I would rather stay with him." Jack said, willing to fight to stay put.

"Jack, it's okay." Mac said softly and Jack knew deep down that this was another moment when Mac was telling him that he needed some space, but it was so damn hard to do it. He'd give the kid whatever he wanted though, and if him going downstairs was going to put his mind at ease and allow him to get the treatment necessary, he'd do it.

"Okay," he said uncertain. "I'll be right back, though, okay?"

"Kay," Mac said and Jack hobbled his way out of the room. He tried to walk as normally as possible for Mac's sake but his legs and hips were still incredibly sore. He couldn't bring himself to go all the way down to the first floor where the cafeteria was and instead went only one floor down to Cage's room. He felt incredibly guilty that he hadn't been in to see her in the entire almost-week they had been there. He knew she would understand, she knew how sick Mac had been and how close Mac and Jack were, but that didn't stop him from feeling like a bit of an asshole for not even popping by for a minute.

Cage was sitting in the chair by her window, her broken leg propped up when Jack got to her room. She was wearing regular clothes and was staring pensively out at the building next door.

"Knock, knock," Jack said, mimicking the onomatopoeia with the actual action against the open door. Cage startled slightly before smiling when she realized who it was.

"Hey Jack," Cage said with a smile. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Jack said honestly. "I was discharged two days ago, still have a headache but they said the concussion wasn't too bad. How about you?"

"I'm getting discharged in a few hours," she told him. "I'm sorry I haven't been up to see you and Mac, they've kept me tied to that bed since the surgery. How's Mac doing? They said he was taken off the ventilator."

"Yeah, he's breathing on his own and just woke up. They're checking on him now and asked me to leave. I'm sorry I haven't checked in on you."

"It's completely understandable," Cage said honestly. "I've had Bozer and Riley come by to keep me company, and Matty was here for a bit. You were where you were supposed to be."

"Was there anything we could have done, do you think?" Jack asked suddenly, a certain kind of sadness radiating from him.

"No Jack," she said softly. "I don't think there was."

"How long do they say it'll take for your leg to heal?" Jack asked, immediately trying to change the subject and already regretting letting his mask slip in front of her, even if only for a moment. He trusted Cage to a degree but they had only just met her and it would take a little more time before he fully let his guard down around her. He knew it was the same for her, for anyone in their line of work, really. Trust came sparingly, but she had proven herself a few times now, and Jack could feel that trust building.

"Three to six months, unfortunately," Cage said distastefully, glaring at her cast-encased leg like it was a mortal enemy.

"Geesh," Jack winced with sympathy for her. He had broken his leg before and knew how infuriating being immobile for that long could be. With how active Cage was, it was going to be pure hell for her.

"But I can't complain, right?" Cage said. "It could have been worse."

The words hit them both hard and they sobered entirely. It hit a little too close to home when one of them was stuck in the ICU for who knew how long.

"I know you're planning on going after Murdoc." Cage started, stony and serious. "I know it's going to take some time for my leg to heal, but when it does, I want in."

"We're going to take that son of a bitch down." Jack agreed. "I'm going to focus on helping Mac through his recovery first and then I don't care how long it takes, I'm gonna make it so he can't hurt anyone again, especially not Mac."

"I'm just saying count me in." Cage said and Jack smiled in gratitude. This was a mission he knew he wouldn't be going into on his own, even though he would if he had to. Murdoc had caused too much harm to their little family and they were all going to want a chance to take him down and lock him up in a deep, dark hole. Never to be seen or heard from again. "Now go back up there and keep an eye on Mac, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jack said, all too ready to be back upstairs with his brother. There was a hard road to recovery in front of them all but Jack was determined that they would all get through it. Inch by painful inch, they would get back everything Murdoc tried to take from them, and then they would get the man himself and make it so he would never see the light of day again.

That was the only option, and Jack knew they would do anything to make that happen, or die trying.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This chapter gets a little dark, like kind of a lot dark. Murdoc got substantially creepier than ever in this chapter. He visits Mac in the hospital and is very impressed by how much damage his rocket launcher attack did to Mac, long story short he gets a little hands on. Nothing sexual, just creepy touching. I'll start that section of the story with (4) ++++ so if you want to skip it you can and then the scene goes to the end of the chapter.**

**Also, this chapter is probably full of inaccuracies. I tried my best and I hope you can forgive me and enjoy this chapter anyway.**

**Chapter Six**

Mac could barely keep his eyes open as the doctor and nurses poked and prodded his sore body. They came and went with a practiced efficiency that would have impressed Mac if he wasn't feeling so awful.

He hated feeling so weak. He felt oddly detached from his surroundings, but maybe that was just the pain medication they were pumping into him.

He knew the statistics about healing from his injuries. His doctor explained everything in vivid detail, so he knew exactly what had happened to his body. He would survive but healing would take longer if he was constantly in pain. The meds were helping, he knew that, and he didn't want to know the extent of what he would be feeling without them, but he hated how they made him feel like he was floating in a weird, hazy bubble.

Mac needed to be in control of his mind. He needed to stay focus and clear, people's lives depended on his ability to problem solve and negotiate his way through any situation. His friends needed him; Murdoc was still out there which meant they were still in danger.

He didn't have time to lie around not feeling well; there was so much work to do, people and terrorists, and danger. But he _didn't_ feel well. The morphine was keeping the worst of the pain at bay but he still felt the ache deep in his bones, anxiety bubbling up inside him, and too warm. He knew he didn't have a fever, the doctor's would have noticed, but he felt like he was in a sauna.

He reached the hand not attached to the arm in the sling up onto the bandages over his stomach. He knew he was going to have a scar there, now. They had to perform an exploratory laparotomy to stop the internal bleeding, remove his spleen, and check to make sure no other organs were damaged. He didn't care much about his appearance but it never got easier to accept that the way you looked was marred forever by more wounds.

He once asked Jack how he felt about his own scars and Jack told him he felt nothing but pride to wear them. It was nice to be recognized with medals and awards but they didn't measure success, Jack told him. He said that he measured his own success and the success of others in the marks they carry on their bodies forever. They meant you fought for something, survived something, and that could never be taken away from you. Having scars meant a life lived doing something worth doing, whether it was a small scar from playing as a kid or a bigger scar from a gunshot wound. They meant pain felt and overcome – they meant strength.

Mac liked the way Jack talked about scars. It made him feel better about his own so that looking in the mirror didn't make him feel like something ruined and ugly.

He groaned quietly at the deep ache in his gut, the elephant sitting on his chest, and pressed his cheek into the pillow as if trying to disappear into the bed completely.

"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Jack's voice startled Mac. He didn't hear Jack come back in the room, or sit back down next to him. Was he really that out of it, that unobservant?

"Hmm…" Mac hummed, too tired to form any more syllables than that right now.

"This whole thing with Murdoc really did a number on ya, huh pal?" Mac felt Jack's calloused hand brush the hair off his forehead with all the gentleness of a father watching over their sick kid. Mac would blame it on the drugs flooding his bloodstream when his eyes, still closed, filled with tears instantly. He wanted to find his father but even in the ten years the man had stuck around he had never done anything like that. Mac couldn't remember a single instance of gaining comfort from the man. He couldn't pull up one single memory.

Jack was the closest thing he had to a real dad and he pushed him away, too. Yes, Jack came back for him when he was in trouble, but Mac had no idea why he had pushed him away to begin with. Jack was just worried, had saved his life even, and Mac treated him like garbage. Of course Jack left; Mac hadn't given him any other options. Why did he do that, though? Jack had stayed by his side through so much, and he meant it when he said it wouldn't be cool for him to ask any more of the man, but why did he reinforce his walls so tight?

Mac wouldn't blame Jack if he left after this. He knew Jack would never leave him in his current state of pathetic weakness, but once he was feeling better Jack was sure to go.

The hand brushing back his hair continued its soft pattern, and Mac wanted to lean into the comfort it provided, but he didn't deserve it. Not after everything he had done. But his body was so heavy, his head especially, and he couldn't pull away.

"You're scaring me, bud." Jack whispered, leaning protectively closer, and took a second to wipe away the stray tear that squeezed its way past Mac's closed eyes and rolled down into the pillow. "What's hurting? Should I get the doctor?"

Mac shook his head minutely but it was enough to keep Jack there. He opened his eyes a crack to find a blurry, anxious Jack peering down at him closely, his body looked like a spring ready to jump at the first sign of danger.

"Sorry," Mac breathed as his eyes closed of their own accord, the sensation of the nasal cannula providing him with much needed oxygen was irritating and his nose scrunched up.

"Nothing to be sorry for, homie." Jack said soothingly. "I just don't like seeing you like this, is all."

"No," Mac insisted. "Sorry…for what I said. Didn't mean it."

"I know, man, it's all okay. I'm not mad and I'm certainly not going anywhere."

"Thanks," was the soft reply, barely a whisper in the air.

"Why don't you sleep, huh?" Jack suggested. "You've got a lotta healin' to do, hoss."

"-Kay…"

Jack watched closely as Mac's eyes fluttered briefly before his body lost all tension and his forehead relaxed against Jack's steadying hand. Jack sighed as he watched his kid sleep and picked up his free hand, holding it tight and pulling it close to his chest.

"I've got ya, kid." Jack promised. "I'm right here."

Jack let his weary head rest on the bed by Mac's side, Mac's slender hand held firm in his grasp, and let his mind drift away with the sounds of the heart monitor, a steady beat amongst all the other turmoil surrounding them. And for the first time since the whole thing began, Jack finally found sleep.

Mac felt the sharp slide of a needle in his neck first.

His eyes flew open at the slight pain. This was the first time the medical staff had injected him like that and it made him suspicious.

The quiet whistling that followed told him all he needed to know.

"Hello again, MacGyver." Murdoc's lilting voice was close but Mac couldn't move anything, not even his eyes. His whole body felt numb, paralyzed, but his mind was wide awake, screaming at the rest of his body to escape. "When I told you I'd be seeing you I didn't intend for our next meeting to be so soon, but I heard about your grievous injuries from my little rocket launcher attack and I had to see the damage for myself."

As soon as Mac's eyes began to burn, Murdoc moved into his line of vision. His face was twisted in a sick little smile, like a kid giddy to play with their new toy. Mac willed his heart to beat faster, his breathing, anything to alert someone, but he was frozen in suspended animation.

"You won't be moving any time soon, I'm afraid." Murdoc explained. "I wasn't kidding when I told you that you inspire me, MacGyver. The way your mind works is so…unique, and beautiful, and you have really made me see the world in a whole new way. I want to start this by thanking you for that."

Mac tried to force his eyes into a hatred-filled glare. He could feel the weight of Jack's hand in his, of his head resting on the bed against his side, and his stomach filled with dread. What had Murdoc done to him to make it so he wasn't waking up yet? Jack was a notoriously loud and light sleeper. He woke up at every sound within a five mile radius, no matter how small, except for his own lawnmower snoring. If Jack wasn't waking up, especially with Murdoc right there…no, he couldn't be dead. Mac would know.

"Don't you worry about good ol' Jackie boy, Angus." Murdoc said, leaning over Jack's still form. "I gave him the same thing I gave you. I had to get creative with this one. I needed to find a drug that would paralyze you, keep you awake and aware, and yet stop your heartrate and blood pressure from changing enough so the lovely staff at this fine establishment didn't run in and ruin all our fun. I would hate for anything to happen to innocent people just doing their jobs, wouldn't you?"

After a beat of silence, Murdoc chuckled. "You don't have to answer me, MacGyver. I know you. You're the blond boy scout on his noble mission to find dear old daddy, the Big Hero Angus MacGyver. You would never let anyone get hurt; I don't know how you get through the day. It must get so boring being so good all the time.

"You don't have to worry about that anyway, I caused a bit of a medical emergency on the other end of the hall. Unfortunately, I don't think the nice doctors and nurses are going to have any luck with the poor man playing the role of 'distraction' but it should give us enough time.

"I'm sure you're curious about the drug I just gave you. Don't worry; it's nothing like the last one. I had to get creative, like I said, so in order for all of those pesky little things to be possible I played scientist and mixed a few of my favorites together. I thought you of all people would be proud of the influence you've had on others to get involved with the physical sciences.

"First, to paralyze you I used a dash of Atracurium besilate to stop that pesky Acetylcholine from doing its job. And then, to keep your heartrate and blood pressure under control there's a pinch of acebutolol. Finally, and my personal favorite, to keep you conscious there's a sprinkle of good old fashion adrenaline. Just enough to keep you from being able to fall asleep on me while we're having our fun. What do you think about that, Jackie Boy?"

Murdoc's hand shot forward and he grabbed a fistful of Jack's jacket. He pulled up and Mac could see out of the corner of his eye as Jack was hefted upright in the chair, his eyes frozen just like Mac's, just like the rest of his body. Murdoc released Jack and let him slump into the chair, making sure his eyes were pointing toward Mac's body.

Mac knew Jack was in there just like he was, and he knew how much it was going to kill the man to be immobile while whatever Murdoc had planned happened.

"It really is quite remarkable," Murdoc continued, shedding his black jacket and draping it over Jack's lap. "Hold that for me will you? I didn't know if it was going to work, all those drugs mixed together – who knew what would happen to you two. But I think you're rubbing off on me MacGyver, things seem to be going exactly according to plan.

"Now, you don't have to worry too much, my friends, I don't plan on hurting either of you. I just want to see."

With that, Murdoc walked around to Mac's right side and undid the straps of the sling. Mac tried to hold his breath as the sling was removed and placed somewhere out of the way. With the tender care of a man holding his newborn, Murdoc gently extended Mac's arm and placed it on the bed along his side. Mac grunted, despite the paralytic, at the deep pain that radiated from his injuries there.

"Apologies," Murdoc said and his voice did seem sincere. Maybe he really wouldn't hurt him. But if he didn't want to hurt him, what else was he planning?

A pair of scissors seemed to magically appear in Murdoc's hand and Mac heard Jack's chair tremble as he fought against his immovable body. Mac tried to fight back, too, but he was already so weak from the accident and the drugs they previously had him on. It was useless.

Murdoc hooked a finger into the neckline of Mac's hospital gown and placed the fabric in the open blades of the scissors. Each snip of fabric sent a chill down Mac's spine. He could feel the cool air on his upper body and knew exactly where every bandage and wound was. Murdoc could kill him so easily. It would take nothing. The man could rip his stitches and watch him bleed out and what was even worse was the fact that Jack would be forced to watch, too. What would that do to the man, his father figure and best friend in the entire world?

Luckily, Murdoc was keeping his promise about not hurting him and kept the scissors far away from the bandages. He sliced through the hospital gown until he got to the blanket covering Mac's waist and thankfully stopped before going further. He felt Murdoc place the scissors on the bed by his right hand and pull the two split ends of the hospital gown apart, pushing them so the fabric was bunched together in the small space between his sides and arms.

Murdoc apparently wasn't satisfied only seeing the bandages, though. He gently took off each of his gloves individually and set them down next to the scissors. He reached forward with one steady hand and started peeling back the gauze over the incision on his stomach. Murdoc pulled off the gauze painfully slow, as if enjoying every second, every inch of stitched together flesh he had caused. When he was finally done, he dropped the gauze on the bed at his feet and stood back, as if admiring a piece of artwork.

"I didn't intend for this," Murdoc almost purred, reaching his fingers down to trace beside the line of stitches. "But you look so good covered in bruises and scars." Mac could hear Jack grunting, fighting tirelessly against the paralyzing drugs, and Mac silently cheered him on. If Jack could get free, he would stop this, he would make this end. That's all he wanted. He felt exposed; he felt the heat of pain in his belly as his injuries were aggravated, even if Murdoc was being careful. He could feel a thin line of blood trail down his side and soak into the sheets. He could feel the cool air against the bruises on his shoulder and collarbone, on the small incision from the chest tube. And worst of all, he could feel every single one of Murdoc's feather light touches as he explored the damage across Mac's torso. He could see the sickening glee in the psycho's intense gaze as his eyes took in every single bruise and cut and stitch.

He screamed inside, thrashing against the drugs, and halted his attempts when he felt his finger twitch. It was only a little, and could almost be blamed by a light breeze, but it was enough. Mac fought harder, throwing himself against the wall of drugs, fighting with everything in him to move despite the paralytic. He felt his finger move again, a single twitch but stronger this time.

He tried to ignore as Murdoc ran a finger down each individual stitch as if counting them to remember later. Mac's own mind started counting with him, even as he tried to ignore everything, even as he fought with all his strength to move the rest of his hand. The scissors were right there. It would be murder on his shoulder and wrist but it would be worth it just to make everything STOP!

Five, six, seven, eight…

More fingers twitched and curled as his once lax hand turned into a loose fist – progress. He could hear Jack's chair scrape against the floor. He was almost free, too. It was almost a race, who would gain control back first. Mac wanted Jack to save him from this horrible nightmare but he also wanted to be the one to stop Murdoc. There was a weapon so close. He didn't even have to make anything. Just the scissors by themselves would do.

Twelve, thirteen, fourteen…

Murdoc was almost a quarter down the incision site. Mac's whole hand jolted and when he tried again, his hand moved a little more. He was so close, just a little further. Another jolt felt his fingers brush against the smooth handle of the scissors.

Eighteen, nineteen, twenty…

Murdoc was too focused, too distracted to notice that he was moving. He kept the motions as small as possible so they wouldn't be noticed.

Finally, after what felt like hours, his fingers gripped around the handle. He held onto them tightly and waited patiently as he felt his hand and wrist gain more strength. He could feel control slipping back into his arm and finally blinked his stinging, dry eyes. Gathering all the strength he had left inside him, he jerked the sharp end of the scissors in Murdoc's direction.

Murdoc grunted as the scissors sank into his flesh. Mac wasn't sure where he had stabbed him but when he released his grip on the weapon they stayed put. Mac saw anger flare hot and dark in Murdoc's eyes and then there was a sharp spike of agony along his incision. Mac's whole body flinched at the unexpected pain and his heart monitor blared into a cacophony of alarms.

Murdoc swung his attention toward the flashing lights and shrieking alarms. With a sharp smile and a hand pressed to his own body, Murdoc turned back to Mac.

"You win this round, MacGyver." Murdoc's voice seethed through clenched teeth. "But I'll be seeing you real soon."

With that, the madman turned and fled through the curtains just as his doctor and several nurses slide open the curtain in one fell swoop and froze, confusion written all over their faces at the sight before them.

"M…Ma…" Jack gritted out through frozen lips as he clumsily forced his unresponsive body forward. He caught himself on the bed and reached a shaky hand toward Mac's face. "Mac, jeez..kid…ok-kay?"

"What the hell happened here?" Mac's doctor shouted.

Mac couldn't answer. Everything hurt and he couldn't breathe, panic and pain crashing over him in tsunami waves. His chest heaved as blood ran down his sides from the torn stitches half way down his incision site. He had felt Murdoc rip them out with his fingers. Felt every single thread shred its way through his flesh as the wound was reopened slightly.

"Help him," Jack begged as his hands hovered over Mac, unsure of what to do. The doctor and nurses immediately sprang into action, confusion forgotten as their activity buzzed around Mac's prone body. He could feel the paralytic had faded but he didn't have the energy to move anymore. His vision dipped and swayed, greying around the edges before black spots descended into view. He was getting way too familiar with the sensation of losing consciousness.

"Stay with me, kid." Mac heard through the hornets' nest buzzing in his ears. He couldn't breathe; he didn't want to be touched, but the hands wouldn't stop.

As his eyes rolled back into his head, he could have sworn he heard a faint whistle fading down the hall.

Once more, Murdoc had escaped.

And who knew what he would do next…

**To Be Continued. **


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for the support you have shown this story, it means so much to me, and I am forever grateful! Seriously, thank you!

**Chapter Seven**

Matty woke up to her phone's ringtone blaring mercilessly by her head. She reached over and pulled the phone to her by the charging cord, her eyes squinting against the unnatural light igniting the screen, and answered it by the third ring.

"Hello?" She said, forcing the grogginess out of her voice. She had only left the hospital a few hours ago based on the red numbers of her alarm clock and was truly exhausted in the wake of everything that had happened to her agents – who was she kidding, her family.

"Director Webber?" the voice was familiar, one of the nurses taking care of Mac, and overtly terrified. There was a loud crash in the background, followed by the wobbly, tinny sound of something metal spinning on its rim.

"_Sir, Agent Dalton, please calm down." _

"What's going on?" Matty demanded, flinging the blankets off her and racing to her bureau to get dressed. Something was wrong, really wrong, and her gut was screaming at her to get to the hospital.

"There was an attack, I'm sorry I don't know what happened exactly, but someone attacked Agent's Dalton and MacGyver. You need to get down here."

"Are they hurt?" Matty asked, hiding the fear blossoming inside her. She turned on speaker phone as she dressed, throwing whatever her hands touched on without caring about what it would look like. When she was done, she grabbed the phone and raced to the door. She grabbed her keys from the small dish on the table by her front door and hurried to her car.

"They were drugged with something. Agent Dalton is recovering from it, but he's incredibly agitated, Agent MacGyver is reacting more strongly, and some of his stitches were torn so they're working on getting the bleeding under control enough to fix them."

"I'm on my way," Matty said sternly, ending the call. Where was the security guard at Mac's door? She knew deep down that it had to be Murdoc but how did he get through. This was a hospital that was used to helping them, one of the few places that actually knew who they were and what they did – it was always a calculated risk to let anyone in on the secrets surrounding their work but there were times, like now, when they were too injured for Phoenix Medical and they needed a safe place that was in the loop.

They maintained cover if they had to receive emergency assistance from other facilities but since UCLA Medical was their go-to, the people who worked there had to know what kind of dangers might follow her team. Especially in situations like this.

She arrived in record time and darted into the hospital, taking the elevator to the right floor for the ICU and charged straight for Mac's room.

"Please calm down," she heard the commotion before she got there. The nurse's voice had taken on a slight hint of desperation. She was hiding it well but clearly new to the job, new to them. There was another banging sound and Matty glanced down at the security guard sitting with his back to the wall and rubbing his neck, as another nurse checked his eyes with a penlight.

"What happened?" She asked him steadily. Even though she hadn't said it accusingly, the man still looked up at her with shame and regret. He wasn't a Phoenix guard, he worked for the hospital, and Matty made a mental note to get some of their guys down there – ASAP.

"I don't know, ma'am." The man, Stanley, Matty remembered, said. "There was a commotion down the hall and when I looked over to see what was happening I felt something sharp pierce my neck. Next thing I knew, I was face down on the ground and couldn't move. I never saw who did it."

Matty had a pretty good idea.

She could have kicked herself for not getting Phoenix security there immediately, she never thought Murdoc would attempt to go after Mac in the hospital, especially not the ICU. But he had breached Phoenix itself so she shouldn't be surprised he was willing to go to extreme and dangerous lengths.

She did know one thing, though; she was never going to underestimate the madman again.

There was more crashing coming from inside the curtained off area and Matty nodded encouragingly at the man, hoping it eased his guilt and hurried inside.

"Agent Dalton, please sit down." The nurse's voice begged and Matty pulled the curtain aside. Jack was standing on shaking legs against the wall, hands scrabbling around as he tried to gain his balance. His whole body was swaying dangerously, listing sharply to the left, and Matty caught the eye of the nurse who was hovering near him in case he fell. She was trying to get him back in the chair near the empty space in the room where Mac used to be.

"I'm gonna kill that sonofabitch," Jack slurred before swinging around and careening into the small tray table in the corner. He caught himself on the edge but the table wasn't balanced enough to support Jack's off kilter weight and it tipped over, sending Jack and the cart crashing to the ground in an uncoordinated heap.

"Jack!" Matty said and stepped toward her agent, worried he might have hurt himself in the tumble. Also, very concerned about why he was so disoriented. He looked like a fowl taking its first steps, not at all like the seasoned, highly trained Delta she knew he was.

The nurse kneeled down by the fallen man and gripped him under the arm before hoisting him with a surprising amount of strength for her small size into the chair. Jack leaned back, face pale and eyes roaming listlessly around the room.

Matty walked up to the pair and the nurse glanced at her.

"Stay with him," she told Matty. "I'm going to get someone to come help me get him back into a bed. The drugs he was given are reacting poorly to the concussion and he needs to be checked over properly."

"I will." Matty promised. "What about MacGyver?"

"They brought him in for some tests," the nurse informed her. "They'll know more soon."

With that, the nurse took off and Matty was left with a swaying, discombobulated Jack. She placed one hand on his knee and the other caught a restless fist in order to steady him. His eyes snapped to hers and she could see the despair written all over his face.

"Are you hurt?" She asked and watched as Jack wiped his free hand down his face and sighed.

"The bastard didn't touch me, except with that damn needle." He told her.

"What happened?" She asked. Normally her voice would be made of steel, demanding answers instead of asking for them. But she couldn't do it right now. Jack didn't deserve her hard ass bossiness; he needed the support of an old friend.

"That monster waltzed right in here, drugged us, and then ran his disgusting hands all over Mac while I just sat there and watched it happen." His voice got louder and louder until he was practically yelling at the end. He was breathing heavily and tried to sit up again but Matty easily pushed him back down. He leaned forward completely and pulled his hand in hers free before covering his face with both of them, elbows on his knees. It was the positon he had assumed the most since Mac had been taken and she hated seeing her people like this. Murdoc was tearing their family apart and she didn't know how to stop it.

Her stomach crawled at the implications of Jack's words. She swallowed hard, not wanting to have to ask her next question but needed to know the full scale of what had happened here.

"Jack, did Murdoc…" She didn't get any further before Jack shook his head.

"No, he didn't get that far, but he cut open his hospital gown and pulled off the dressing over his wounds and then studied him like he was a cadaver. Neither of us could move, Mac just had to sit there and take it and I couldn't do a damn thing but watch."

Matty could feel her own skin crawl just thinking about how horrible it must have been for the two of them, especially Mac. She couldn't image what it must have been like to be paralyzed and exposed as Murdoc did whatever he wanted. Thank God Murdoc had kept it above the waist but it was by no means okay what had happened. Mac should have never been subjected to such a revolting situation and she hoped that this wouldn't put off his recovery too much. There was no way this wouldn't leave psychological scars but they would be there to help him through it, just like always.

"I'm going to kill him." Jack stated simply, the heavy eye contact saying more than even his words implied. "I'm gonna hunt the sick freak down and then I'm gonna kill him."

Matty knew she shouldn't be hearing this because she knew he was telling the truth. She was not allowed to sanction that kind of mission without authorization from Oversight, and as much as Oversight should care about what was happening, she wasn't sure if he would approve.

She knew she shouldn't do it, she knew it might get all of them in trouble, but Murdoc had messed with her family one time too many, this was the final straw, and she wanted to see the psychopath in the ground as much as Jack did.

With lips pressed tight into a line, and her brow furrowed under the heavy weight between them, she nodded her support and knew deep down that Jack was going to make good on his promise. She felt nothing but hope that he would.

Jack wasn't a heavy sleeper, he never had been, but when Mac was hurt it got to a point where he barely slept at all. The weight of the past week finally crashed over him, though, and his eyes drifted shut. He could sleep because he could feel the solid weight of Mac on the bed above where his head had come to rest by the kid's side. He could feel Mac's hand in his and the soft beating of his heart in the wrist under Jack's fingers. He slept more soundly than he had for a while because he could physically feel that his kid was safe.

It was the crushing exhaustion and false sense of security that everything would be okay that made it so Jack didn't wake up immediately when Murdoc pushed a syringe filled with nothing but air into the IV of a man down the hall, which caused a sudden cardiac arrest episode for the poor man a few moments later. He didn't wake up when the Code Blue was announced or when Murdoc took out the security guard. He didn't wake up when Murdoc pulled back the curtain and walked up behind him. He only woke up when the needle bit into his skin and the paralyzing agent froze his body, leaving him completely immobile but wide awake.

He tried to move, tried to fight or scream or do anything except just lie there helplessly as Murdoc's soft whistling filtered in as he walked around to Mac's other side. He heard the soft grunt Mac made when Murdoc injected him, too, and continued to whistle. Jack could feel Mac's hand flinch in his grip before stilling completely, the soft beat of his heart unwavering, just like Jack's. That's when Jack realized how many sensations he could still feel. He could feel everything, even terror, but his body wouldn't respond at all. That must have been how it was for Mac, too, totally immobile but completely aware. Locked and trapped inside a heavy, immovable body.

"Hello again, MacGyver." Murdoc's quiet voice was light as air as he taunted Mac. "When I told you I'd be seeing you I didn't intend for our next meeting to be so soon, but I heard about your grievous injuries from my little rocket launcher attack and I had to see the damage for myself."

_Move_, Jack begged his unresponsive limbs, _gotta help him…_

"You won't be moving any time soon, I'm afraid." Murdoc explained, as if reading Jack's thoughts, which only caused Jack to fight harder. What the hell had Lord Nutbar done to them? "I wasn't kidding when I told you that you inspire me, MacGyver. The way your mind works is so…unique, and beautiful, and you have really made me see the world in a whole new way. I want to start this by thanking you for that."

"Don't you worry about good ol' Jackie boy, Angus." Jack could feel Murdoc hovering over him, so close he could feel the madman's hot breath on his neck. Oh man, Murdoc was lucky he couldn't move. "I gave him the same thing I gave you. I had to get creative with this one. I needed to find a drug that would paralyze you, keep you awake and aware, and yet stop your heartrate and blood pressure from changing enough so the lovely staff at this fine establishment didn't run in and ruin all our fun. I would hate for anything to happen to innocent people just doing their jobs, wouldn't you?

There was a beat of silence.

"You don't have to answer me, MacGyver." Murdoc said with a jovial chuckle. "I know you. You're the blond boy scout on his noble mission to find dear old daddy, the Big Hero Angus MacGyver. You would never let anyone get hurt; I don't know how you get through the day. It must get so boring being so good all the time.

"You don't have to worry about that anyway, I caused a bit of a medical emergency on the other end of the hall. Unfortunately, I don't think the nice doctors and nurses are going to have any luck with the poor man playing the role of 'distraction' but it should give us enough time.

"I'm sure you're curious about the drug I just gave you. Don't worry; it's nothing like the last one. I had to get creative, like I said, so in order for all of those pesky little things to be possible I played scientist and mixed a few of my favorites together. I thought you of all people would be proud of the influence you've had on others to get involved with the physical sciences.

"First, to paralyze you I used a dash of Atracurium besilate to stop that pesky Acetylcholine from doing its job. And then, to keep your heartrate and blood pressure under control there's a pinch of acebutolol. Finally, and my personal favorite, to keep you conscious there's a sprinkle of good old fashion adrenaline. Just enough to keep you from being able to fall asleep on me while we're having our fun. What do you think about that, Jackie Boy?"

Jack had been focusing so hard on the explanation of the drug combination Murdoc had used that he almost missed it when Murdoc's attention jumped back to him. He felt a hand grab onto the back of his shirt and pull him up, his hand falling away from Mac's, and he longed to have that contact back. He felt his head loll like a puppet on a string as Murdoc propped him up against the back of the chair, his chin falling before Murdoc orienting him so he was staring directly at Mac's limp and yet somehow still tense frame. He couldn't move his eyes, which were burning like they were covered in fifty years of dust, but he could see Mac's face. He looked scared - frozen and terrified. His face was too pale, his breathing steady but hitching slightly during every inhale. There were thin lines of stress creasing Mac's forehead and he could see in those paralyzed blue eyes that Mac was fighting, too.

_Come on, kid, you can do it. I won't give up, either. _

"It really is quite remarkable. Hold that for me will you?" Jack felt the weight of Murdoc's jacket falling over his legs and would have growled if he could have. "I didn't know if it was going to work, all those drugs mixed together – who knew what would happen to you two. But I think you're rubbing off on me MacGyver, things seem to be going exactly according to plan.

"Now, you don't have to worry too much, my friends, I don't plan on hurting either of you. I just want to see."

What the hell did that mean?

Jack watched with bated breath as Murdoc crossed back into his vision, on the other side of Mac's bed, and pulled the kid's arm out of the sling strapped across his body. Jack's vision turned red when Mac actually grunted at the pain the motion caused when Murdoc straightened his arm to his side. He was going to kill the psycho. Murdoc actually had the gall to apologize and sound sincere about it.

_If you don't want to hurt him, stop touching him where he's injured, maybe? _Jack thought venomously.

As soon as he saw the scissors come into view, he snapped. He didn't care that he was paralyzed, he didn't care that it was impossible to move, he kicked and fought and clawed his way through the haze of drugs until his whole body was shaking with the sheer force of his rage.

_Don't you fucking dare…_

He could do nothing but watch as Murdoc cut Mac's hospital gown down the middle and pulled the two halves aside, presenting Mac's ruined torso for both of them to see. Jack gulped at the sight of the bandages and bruises. The long one down Mac's stomach was the worst. He knew the kid had a splenectomy to remove his badly damaged spleen, and it had been explained to him in greater detail later on that the mid-line incision had been necessary because they found a few bleeds and needed to do a more in depth search for more. One of them had been bad enough that if they hadn't found it when they did he would have bleed to death before they could have gotten him back into the OR. The scar was going to be pretty big this time but at least he was alive to have one. If Murdoc didn't kill him, now.

The sight of it still stung Jack. It was vivid proof of his failure to protect Mac, to stop all of this from happening. Even now, Jack was right there but could do nothing to help, to stop whatever Murdoc had planned. Like always, he was so close and yet too far away to do anything.

Murdoc carefully took off his black gloves and set them down with the scissors before peeling the dressing off the wound. He did it gently, proving yet again that he wasn't intending to hurt Mac. But Jack knew you couldn't trust someone like Murdoc, he could change his mind at any moment.

When he was done, he stepped back and seemed to simply admire every single one of Mac's injuries. Jack grimaced internally at the sight of Mac's broken body.

_I'm so sorry, kid, so goddamn sorry…_

"I didn't intend for this but you look so good covered in bruises and scars." Murdoc said as his hands came up to brush against Mac's bruised skin, tracing his fingers along his side. When Mac physically flinched at the contact, Jack flung himself against the wall holding him still. He shifted a little more than he had before and the progress made him fight even harder.

_I'm coming, Mac, just hold on…_

The small trail of blood that seeped down Mac's side made his heart go cold as he watched Murdoc continue to explore every trace of visible injury, his hand roaming all over Mac's exposed chest and abdomen. He could see that even though Murdoc wasn't intending to hurt Mac, he still was. He could see the struggle, see Mac's fingers twitching and was highly tuned to every single hitch in Mac's breathing.

Jack jolted forward a little, his chair scraping against the floor quietly as Mac's hand balled into a fist at his side. They were doing it; just a little bit more and they'd both be free. Murdoc was so entranced by his exploring he didn't seem to notice that his prisoners were both gaining back control over their bodies.

Jack became so distracted by his own desperate attempts he didn't even notice when Mac got a grip on the scissors. He had never been more proud of Mac in his life when the kid slammed the pointy end into Murdoc's gut, the crazy man grunted in pain.

_Shit, no, damn it…_

The fingers dancing across Mac's incision dug in and pulled, blood seeping from the torn sutures, as Murdoc smiled wickedly down at Mac. The alarms began blaring as the sedative released its hold on Mac's vitals and his heart jolted into a shrieking gallop. Jack could feel his own heartrate pick up and he jerked his body forward, now able to keep his head up on his own when he moved.

_Great, now I can do what a four month old baby can…_

At least it was better than before.

"You win this round, MacGyver, but I'll be seeing you real soon." With that the sick bastard turned on his heels and bolted away. Jack ignored the medical staff that ran in before standing frozen in confusion.

"M…Ma…" Jack stumbled over the words, his lips felt heavy but he forced himself to move closer, he had to protect his kid, who was now gasping for breath as his injured lungs struggled. He hovered above Mac, not sure where to put his hands or what he could do to make it better. "Mac, jeez..kid…ok-kay?"

Of course he wasn't but he needed to get some kind of response from the kid, other than the frantic gasping and desperate eyes. The blood was washing down his torso like a crimson waterfall, turning the cut hospital gown red.

"What the hell happened here?" The doctor demanded but Jack still didn't have enough control over his lips to explain.

"Help him," was all he could get out and the medical personnel immediately jumped into action. The doctor ran forward, lifting Mac's eyes and flashing lights into them. Mac jerked in response and Jack wasn't sure if he was seeing much of anything right now.

"Pupils are dilated," he announced to the room. "Heartrate is 130 and climbing, Pulse Ox 89 and falling, and BP is almost non-existent."

"Wha' does tha' mean?" Jack asked, his tongue felt like it was made out of rubber.

"He's going back into shock," the man explained quickly. "We need to stop the bleeding and run some tests, Susan get some oxygen on him."

"Stay with me, kid." Jack begged, taking Mac's clammy hand in his. Jack watched as Mac's eyes fluttered shut and his body lost all tension. He watched as an oxygen mask was placed over Mac's face and his breathing smoothed out a little. That was good, right; it meant he wasn't too bad off - right?

"We were drugged." Jack said, pointing toward the empty syringes sitting on the bed by Mac's head.

"We'll test these and take some blood samples; he may be experiencing a more severe reaction to whatever he was given."

"BP just bottomed out," one of the nurses instantly announced as the beeping on the monitors grew louder and Mac was immediately rolled away. Jack could only sit and stare at his empty hands before the anger crashed over him all over again. He was going to kill Murdoc for touching Mac, for getting anywhere near him. He felt a small hand on his arm but jerked away from the touch, his arm crashing into something but he ignored it. He had to get up, Murdoc was still close. He couldn't have gotten far. He could end it right there and then.

"Director Webber?" He heard the voice ask but he wasn't paying attention, he had to get Murdoc, he had to get to Mac…He shouldn't be alone right now. Not now…never again.

As he desperately tried to find purchase on something he could use to help him stand, his arm knocked against something else and it was immediately followed by a loud clang.

Have to get Murdoc, have to get to Mac, he needs me, I have to be there for him…

"Sir, Agent Dalton, please calm down." There was a new voice but Jack ignored that, too. He would not calm down. How could he? After what just happened – no, he had to go right now.

The voices continued around him but he only had one singular goal – get up, protect Mac. He fought against hands that kept him in the chair and as his strength came back to him a little bit at a time he only used it to fight harder. He had no concept of time. How long ago had Mac been taken away from him? How far of a head start did Murdoc have? He could still stop him if they would just let him go!

"Let me go, damn it!" He said and lashed out, his fist catching something solid and a grunt followed.

"He's combative," someone said by his right side. "Should we get the restraints?"

"He was drugged and couldn't move," someone responded. "And now you're holding him still again, just let him go."

"He could hurt himself or one of us."

"There's a higher chance of that happening if you keep him physically restrained, I think."

The arms released him after a moment's hesitation and he stilled, exhausted from the monumental amount of energy he had been expending trying to escape the hold of the drugs and then fighting against the restraining hands.

"We just got paged, another Code Blue. What is going on tonight? He's exhausted; can you watch him until his boss gets here?"

"Yes, I got him, go!"

"What the hell happened in here?"

The voices faded away quickly and Jack blinked his eyes open. He hadn't realized they had closed. All he wanted to do was sleep, the massive adrenaline rush making him crash hard.

"Stay still, Agent Dalton." The young woman told him, kneeling down by his side. "Are you injured?"

Jack shook his head and she smiled reassuringly.

"Director Webber is on the way," she told him calmly. He could feel his heartrate picking up again, the faint echo of Murdoc's creepy whistling ringing in his ears. He couldn't stay here waiting for Matty, he had to get up and do something. He bolted forward and nearly tipped out of his chair. The woman raised her hands to try to calm him down and took a step back, her eyes darting around frantically for assistance.

"Woah, no, no, no, just sit for a minute, okay?"

No, he couldn't do that. Murdoc was getting away.

He finally made it to his feet and swayed dangerously, his legs were weak and the world spun around him but he fought for balance. He thought he was doing okay, too, until his hands hit the wall and he held on for dear life so he wouldn't tip over.

"Please calm down." She begged but Jack could only grasp around, desperate to find something he could use as a weapon. What if Murdoc came back, he wouldn't let the sick bastard touch Mac again, he had to be able to defend him and he couldn't do that if he could barely stand and didn't have a weapon. He would kill the psycho with his bare hands if he had to but he didn't know how effective that would be right now.

"Agent Dalton, please sit down."

"I'm gonna kill that sonofabitch." He seethed before the whole world spun upside down and before he knew it he was crashing to the ground. He barely felt the impact, immediately trying to rise, when he heard Matty's voice calling out his name, quite loudly, too.

Before he knew what was happening he was hoisted back into the chair and Matty was there, her face blatantly showing her worry in a way it very rarely did. She was usually great at keeping her emotions in check and Jack wasn't used to see her so rattled.

He swayed as Matty talked to the nurse, blinking rapidly to clear his foggy vision. He could feel himself slowly passing out but refused to let himself fall into that oblivious void. He had to stay aware enough to fight, Murdoc could be anywhere.

"What about MacGyver?"

Matty's voice trickled in, his ringing ears highly tuned when it came to Mac, and he silently begged the nurse for answers. Mac had to be okay, it would kill him if he wasn't.

"They brought him in for some tests. They'll know more soon."

That wasn't enough. He needed more information than that. Before he could even attempt to ask for more information, the nurse was gone and Matty was holding onto his arm like she was afraid he might blow away in a soft breeze.

"Are you hurt?" She asked him and he frowned, he wasn't the one she should be concerned about - even if he had the structural integrity of Jell-O right now.

"The bastard didn't touch _me_, except with that damn needle." He felt nausea churning in his gut as his mind ran through everything that had happened in rapid succession.

"What happened?" Her patience threw him off. Jack wasn't used to her being so…nice…to him. Their relationship had always been complex, rocky at the best of times but it had gotten significantly better since she became Director. Her calm reassurance that it wasn't his fault when Mac had been taken was appreciated even if he didn't believe it himself, and so was when she talked him down from the brink of a mental breakdown when Mac was hooked up to the ventilator, but he there was only so many times a man could hear that it wasn't his fault before it became abundantly clear that it actually was.

"That monster waltzed right in here, drugged us, and then ran his disgusting hands all over Mac while I just sat there and watched it happen." The words tumbled out, fast and out of control, and he shivered as he said them. He saw Matty's face pale and nerves tried to propel him out of the chair again but he was too weak to fight when Matty pushed him back down easily. He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands, his eyes burning and not just because they had been frozen open for what felt like an eternity.

"Jack, did Murdoc…" Matty's voice was low and it only took a second before Jack realized why her tone had changed so dramatically, what she was thinking…no, it was a damn miracle nothing worse had happened. That didn't necessarily make things better, though, just not as bad as they could have been.

"No, he didn't get that far, but he cut open his hospital gown and pulled off the dressing over his wounds and then studied him like he was a cadaver. Neither of us could move, Mac just had to sit there and take it and I couldn't do a damn thing but watch." He felt compelled to explain, he needed her to understand just how terrible it had been. And her face took on a haunted, darker expression, one that twisted barbed wire around Jack's heart.

"I'm going to kill him." Jack said and he had never been more serious about anything else in his life. "I'm gonna hunt the sick freak down and then I'm gonna kill him."

He left out that he wasn't going to make it quick. He didn't say that he was going to enjoy it and there was a part of him that was afraid of what he would become when he made good on that promise. He would do it, though; no one hurt his family and got away with it.

Matty paused for several long seconds, and Jack knew deep down that he was putting her in a tough position by telling her this, but he also knew that subconsciously she wanted the same thing.

That's why it didn't surprise him in the slightest when she agreed.

Riley and Bozer were sitting in a booth in an old diner down the street from the hospital because neither of them wanted to go home.

For Bozer, the house was too quiet when Mac wasn't there. It was different when he thought his roommate and best friend was just on a business trip but knowing he was injured and stuck in a hospital made it impossible for him to relax there.

His own hospital stay was still so fresh in his memory. Before getting stabbed, he had never really felt pain before, he realized. Nothing else in his life even came close and it made thinking about Josh's death all those years ago so much worse. Now he had an idea about how much pain his baby brother had been in when he died. He always thought not knowing was worse but it wasn't, knowing was way worse.

It made Mac being seriously injured and hospitalized so much harder to handle, too. He knew Mac had been hurt badly before, worse than what had happened to Bozer in the lab even, but again – knowing what it was like made it harder to be the observer, the worrier.

Riley didn't want to be alone either.

It was so hard to wait for visiting hours. Jack had been given special permission to stay with Mac all the time but that invitation only extended to him. Matty could probably be there as much as she wanted, too, but she had gone home to give them some space.

Her freezing hands tightened around her coffee cup as she tried to leech any more heat from the long-cold mug. It was still full; she didn't think she could handle caffeine right now. She was already so wired, even decaf would be too much.

"You know, when I first met Mac he was getting beaten up by the school bully." Bozer voice startled Riley and she raised her eyes from the coffee mug to find Bozer staring off into space, a small frown pulling down the corners of his lips.

"Donnie Sandoz, right?" Riley said, remembering their trip to Mission City a few months ago, and Bozer nodded.

"Yeah, Mac was kind of small for his age for a while. He had a major growth spurt in high school but when we were in junior high he was one of the smallest kids in school. I didn't really know him, he was just the annoying smart kid who always made the rest of us look bad by answering all the questions right, and I almost didn't help him."

"Really," Riley was surprised to hear that.

"Yeah, I've never told anyone that before but I wasn't going to get involved. But as I was watching this little blond kid getting the crap kicked out of him by someone so much bigger and stronger something stood out to me."

"What was it?" Riley asked, beyond curious.

"He didn't make a sound, not once. He was on the ground and Donnie Sandoz was kicking him pretty hard but he didn't cry or beg him to stop, he just glared up at him with a kind of fire in his eyes I had never seen before. He was the one on the ground, he was the one getting hurt, but it was Donnie who was losing. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah," Riley said. "I think I know exactly what you mean."

"I knew in that moment that this kid was special. He wasn't just the nerd destroying the grading curve for the rest of us; he was the strongest and bravest person I had ever seen. I knew in that moment I had to help him, had to give him a chance and get to know him, and I haven't regretted that decision for a single day of my life. Even though Donnie got in a good hit to my nose and ruined my favorite shirt."

"Not even the day you realized Mac had been lying to you about what he did?" Riley asked. Bozer had been so angry, so confused, when he found out about what the Phoenix Foundation really was.

"Even then, I told Mac being mad at him was like being mad at a puppy. It's impossible, and I knew deep down he only kept the truth from me to protect me. It made so much sense, too. That brilliant, creative kid who was getting wailed on and never even flinched, of course he grew up to save the world every day."

"Hmm…" Riley hummed, smiling softly. "The first day I met him, the day Jack convinced Thornton to give me a chance and I got out of Super Max, I watched him chase down a plane, catch up to it on foot, and take off in the landing gear. In flight, hanging onto the bottom of the plane, he damaged the landing gear enough so they had to land and when he rolled out from under the plane he just hoped back up and kept going as if nothing had happened. It was like he was a superhero or something."

"Damn," Bozer whistled. "He didn't tell me that one."

"He does these incredible things and doesn't even take credit for them. He doesn't try to get attention or even think of them as anything other than just something that had to be done, I don't think."

"He's so capable I think sometimes we forget he needs help sometimes, too." Bozer said. "This whole thing with Murdoc, it reminds me of seeing Mac on the ground, taking a beating silently, with fire burning in his eyes. But this is a much bigger and way more terrifying bully than Donnie Sandoz ever was and I don't know how to help him this time."

Riley leaned forward and reached for one of Bozer's hands across the table. As soon as he wrapped his fingers around hers, she shook it a little to get him to look at her.

"You're not alone, this time." Riley promised him. "I'm here, and Jack, Matty, and Cage – we're all here with you both this time. You don't have to protect him alone and we'll find Murdoc, we won't let him anywhere near Mac again."

Bozer nodded, and Riley offered a warm smile before leaning back in the booth. Bozer's phone buzzing caught their attention and Bozer picked it up off the table, he stared blankly at the text for several seconds before his face paled.

"What is it?" Riley asked nervously.

"I think we might be too late."

To Be Continued.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

There were hands all over him.

Mac could feel every touch, every whispered fingertip ghosting across his skin, and shivered at the unwanted contact.

Some of the touches were firm, and he knew subconsciously that they simply belonged to the medical staff helping him; but there was a phantom in the room, too, exploring his wounds with a strange and disgusting fascination – a phantom that loved to see him broken and bruised, who loved seeing him bleed.

"Agent MacGyver?" A voice called out to him, kind and vaguely familiar. It wasn't the voice he wanted, though. "Can you hear me?"

He tried to open his eyes, or push away the unwanted hands, but his eyes were glued shut. His body, which had felt heavy and leaded before, felt cemented in place. He couldn't move, could scarcely breathe…

_Murdoc hooked a finger into the neckline of Mac's hospital gown and placed the fabric in the open blades of the scissors. Each snip of fabric sent a chill down Mac's spine. He could feel the cool air on his upper body and knew exactly where every bandage and wound was. Murdoc could kill him so easily. It would take nothing. The man could rip his stitches and watch him bleed out and what was even worse was the fact that Jack would be forced to watch, too. What would that do to the man, his father figure and best friend in the entire world?_

Where was Jack?

Did Murdoc hurt him after all? Was he off in another room fighting for his life, or even worse, in the morgue, gone forever?

Mac could feel his body tremble at thought. He couldn't handle Murdoc killing Jack, or anyone in their little family for that matter. He had so few people in the world who were there for him, no blood relatives to speak of, and he didn't care if it was selfish on his part but he needed the people he did have. He couldn't lose them, too. Not after everything he had been through in his life, all the losses that haunted his every dream, if something happened to any of them…

"Calm down, Agent MacGyver." He could hear the heart monitor by his bed beeping louder as it read his rapid heartrate. "You're safe now."

When he finally did open his eyes, he could tell he was back in the ICU and blurry faces were hovering over him. Someone put an oxygen mask back over his mouth and nose and he closed his eyes as the increased flow of oxygen allowed him to take a deeper breath. When he opened his eyes again everything was more in focus and he didn't feel like the whole room tilting and swaying.

Safe.

That was a strange word for them to have chosen. Mac was a lot of things but safe had never been one of them. He didn't know what he would do with himself if he had the freedom of being safe. If he didn't have to worry about being taken down by a sniper shot on his morning runs because of the many prices on his head, if he didn't have to worry about Murdoc being behind every closed door, hiding in every shadow. There were so many reasons why he was never truly safe but he felt a lot more protected when Jack was around.

That man had a tendency to come into your life and make you feel like everything was okay because he had your back and would never purposefully let anything happen to you.

He had done that so wholeheartedly with Mac. He had come into his life when he had nothing, had lost so much, and was simply drifting around looking for the place where he could use his skills to do the most good, and had changed everything. He had given Mac family, a confidant, and loyal friend when he was drifting in a sea of IEDs and bullet-ridden sand.

So where was he now?

Mac knew deep down that it was selfish to wish that Jack was there with him every second he was stuck in a hospital bed but it wasn't just that Mac had grown accustomed to the man's presence, Jack had just always naturally been there anyway – if Mac wanted him there or not.

Unless he couldn't.

And that's why Mac was so freaked out about the absence. He knew that the only reason why Jack wouldn't be there was if he physically couldn't.

"Where's Jack?" Mac asked through the oxygen mask. Even to his own ears it came out muffled and unintelligible. The mask was lifted off his face so he tried again.

"Where is…Jack Dalton?"

"He's okay," Mac's vision had cleared enough to recognize that it was Dr. Einstein. "They are just making sure the drug cocktail the two of you were given isn't having an adverse reaction to his concussion."

"Is it?" Mac asked fearfully. He didn't even think of that. There was no way mixing a concoction of drugs mixed together by Murdoc would go well with an already severe concussion.

"It's been six hours and physically he's doing very well." Dr. Einstein told him and Mac frowned. Clearly there was something missing. His eyes drifted around the empty space, no one was here which meant something had happened…but what?

"Do you want me to explain your condition to you?"

"_I didn't intend for this," Murdoc almost purred, reaching his fingers down to trace beside the line of stitches. "But you look so good covered in bruises and scars."_

Mac shook his head, blinking rapidly to get rid of the intrusive memories that refused to leave him alone – Murdoc refused to leave him alone, even after he was long gone.

"No," Mac said more harshly than he intended. He knew how he was injured before Murdoc returned and he didn't care to hear any more about what happened after. Dr. Einstein took it in stride, not even blinking at Mac's snappy mood.

"I'm sure you remember everything that happened and don't need me opening up that can of worms again." Dr. Einstein told him. "I will tell you that you are going to be okay. The drugs are out of your system and your vitals are stable."

"What about everyone else?" Mac said, daring the doctor to be vague again.

"Agent Cage was released this morning; Agent Dalton is going to be released tonight. They are fine, doing better than you are honestly. You're on the mend but it will take time before you are fully healed, you have to focus on yourself right now, on your own recovery."

"You don't know MacGyver very well, then." Cage said. "He's a worrier; not for himself, mind you, but for everyone else."

"Oh, I could tell that pretty much immediately." Dr. Einstein said with a wink in Mac's direction. "This one's a fighter, I can tell."

"That he is." Cage said.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone. Just buzz if you need anything." With that, Dr. Einstein walked out and Mac watched as Cage wheeled herself closer to his bed. Her leg was in a white cast that covered the entire length of her leg and Mac winced in sympathy. Cage watched him with a close eye, too, taking in every single bruise and scratch she could see as if cataloguing them. Mac was glad the worst of the damage was covered by the hospital gown and sling. There was a lot in the look she gave him but she was well enough trained to be able to keep out the pity, even though she was clearly feeling plenty of sympathy for his situation as well.

"Good to see ya," Cage said kindly. Mac smiled, and he tried so desperately hard to have it reach his eyes, but he knew he came up a little short.

"You too," he said. "Looks like they finally let you go."

"Yeah," she said. "I heard about what Murdoc did, how he came back here. How're you doing?"

"I would be a lot better if I knew for sure that Jack was really alright." Mac said, staring intently at Cage, his eyes silently begging for news, for reassurance.

"He really is doing okay, Mac." Cage said, one of her slender hands reaching out and taking one of Mac's. Mac glanced down at their hands in confusion, even though it was hard to look down that far when he was lying flat. She wasn't one for physical contact. At least, he thought she wasn't.

Truth be told, he knew virtually nothing about the blonde woman sitting next to him. She was so secretive, and he knew it came with the territory when you had a resume like hers. He was all too familiar with the sharp sting of betrayal. Even though the last time he saw Nikki it was on good terms, and then after everything with Thornton, there was still a part of him that would always struggle to trust someone new.

There were few people who could breach that weariness, and Mac wondered if it was possible for Cage to be one of them. That being said, he had no idea what kind of damage had been left behind as a result of her history, and he wouldn't ask. No, he would let her tell him when she was ready, the way she was extending the same curtesy to him.

_He tried to ignore as Murdoc ran a finger down each individual stitch as if counting them to remember later. Mac's own mind started counting with him, even as he tried to ignore everything, even as he fought with all his strength to move the rest of his hand. The scissors were right there. It would be murder on his shoulder and wrist but it would be worth it just to make everything STOP!_

Nausea twisted in Mac's stomach as his mind cleared and he refocused on Cage. He could feel her hand in his and had to swallow a few times so he wouldn't get sick. He felt slightly guilty when he pulled his hand out of her grip but she didn't look offended.

"You're not used to him being away when things get this bad." Cage said, her eyes squinted as she studied him. It was the same look she got when she was interrogating a witness. She was an expert in reading people, at climbing inside their heads and extracting information from them when they least wanted her to, of course she would be able to read through him when he was at his weakest. She smiled slightly when Mac glanced away. "It doesn't make you weak to want him here."

"I just want to make sure he's okay." Mac insisted.

"I know you do, but you also feel scared and helpless right now. Murdoc came in here and he could have done anything to you, and that made you feel powerless."

"Murdoc came in here and he drugged a person who had a severe concussion. He used a mixture of drugs that has never been combined in that way before, and has certainly never been given to someone at such a high risk for intracranial swelling."

"He also drugged you," Cage said directly.

"Yes, he did. But I'm fine." Mac said, he couldn't help it but saying those words made him have to look away from Cage. He stared at the blue blanket covering him up to his chest and absentmindedly picked at a strand of fibers that had come loose. He twisted it over and over again, wishing he had both hands available and enough strength for a paperclip.

"It's okay if you're not." Cage said and Mac's eyes flicked back to hers for a second before they went back to the blanket.

"I always land on my feet." Mac said. "This is no different."

"I know," Cage said, frowning. "But-"

_He felt exposed; he felt the heat of pain in his belly as his injuries were aggravated, even if Murdoc was being careful. He could feel a thin line of blood trail down his side and soak into the sheets. He could feel the cool air against the bruises on his shoulder and collarbone, on the small incision from the chest tube. And worst of all, he could feel every single one of Murdoc's feather light touches as he explored the damage across Mac's torso. He could see the sickening glee in the psycho's intense gaze as his eyes took in every single bruise and cut and stitch._

"But nothing," Mac said firmly, his jaw so tense it almost hurt. "We're all alive, he barely touched me, and we'll get him eventually."

"You have my word, Mac." Cage said, her eyes downcast to stare at Mac's shaking hand. "We will find him and when we do we're going to make him pay."

The first person Riley and Bozer found when they made their way back to the hospital was Matty. She was on the phone, increasing a security detail it sounded like, and had just ended the call when the pair nearly bulldozed into her.

"What happened?"

"Are they okay?"

The questions came breathless and all at once and Matty held up a hand to slow them down.

"Murdoc was here." Matty told them. "He got in and drugged them but they are both going to be okay."

"So what, Murdoc came in here, drugged Mac and Jack and then just left?" Bozer said uncertainly. "We all know there has got to be more of the story than that."

Matty looked away from her two worried, thankfully uninjured agents, and sighed. She was so unbelievably grateful Murdoc didn't rape Mac. She would never be able to truly express how grateful she was that he was spared that fate. But it was still hard to describe what had happened. 'Murdoc touched him' had an equally sickening ring to it.

"Murdoc violently ripped out some of Mac's stitches so they are trying to re-stabilize him." Matty said and watched as Riley's face paled.

"Oh god," Bozer said sickly. "He's gonna be okay, though, right?"

"With time," Matty said.

"And what about Jack?" Bozer said.

"Yeah, he was there with Mac, right?" Riley continued. "Did Murdoc hurt him, too?"

"The drugs Murdoc dosed them had a paralyzing effect." Matty explained. "Neither of them could move. But he didn't hurt Jack."

"So Jack just had to sit there?" Riley said in disbelief. "That must have been torture."

"It was." Matty said simply, there was no other way to put it. She had no idea what the lasting psychological effects of Murdoc's most recent visit would be for her two best agents. She had this overwhelming uneasy feeling that she was going to lose her agents to Murdoc and she didn't know exactly how to protect them, which was killing her inside. Sure, she would uphold the hardened boss exterior she always kept firmly in place, but that did nothing to ease the fear growing inside her. Murdoc was a threat to her family and they had to stop him. Matty just didn't know how yet.

"I know you said they're still helping Mac," Riley said. "But can we see Jack?"

"He's right down the hall." Matty said, pointing over her shoulder toward Jack's room. "They admitted him to make sure the drugs didn't make his concussion worse."

"Let's go." Riley said to Bozer. He nodded once and they passed Matty. She turned and watched them go and took a deep breath.

When she took the position as Director of the Phoenix Foundation, she knew it would be difficult to keep her distance. She had so much history working with Jack in the past. Their partnership had been a tumultuous one at best, but she couldn't deny that Jack Dalton had wormed his way into her heart, just like he did with everyone.

And Mac, well, she had known Mac from afar since he was a child so she knew it was going to be difficult watching him in danger every day. When she first took over, she put her foot down when it came to Mac's improvising. She had enough experience with seeing how dangerous such an unorthodox method of operation could be. She had seen everything from miracles, to near misses, to straight up failures when it came to the MacGyver improvisational way, and she knew she couldn't watch that brilliant boy she had known for most of his life fall victim to his own hubris.

Of course, it took only a few missions for her to discover that it wasn't hubris at all, not like it was with the other improviser she knew. Mac was made up of one hundred percent skill, brilliance, and a fierce instinct to protect other people. That wasn't so far off from someone else she knew, but Mac honed all of that into a much better package.

He was someone worth protecting, and if Oversight couldn't see that…well, she could and so could Jack and Riley and Bozer and even Cage.

If Oversight wouldn't protect him, well, then, they would just have to do what Oversight would not.

Damn the consequences.

"Hey, Jack." Bozer said as they walked into Jack's room.

The older man was sitting upright in the bed, in scrubs instead of a hospital gown, and was staring sadly out the window. It was a beautiful morning. It almost seemed out of place with how everyone in the team was feeling. It seemed like it should rain or something, not that it ever really rained in Los Angeles. If there was ever a time, though, it felt like it should be then.

Jack glanced over slowly as they sat down. Riley immediately put her feet up on the bed to try to make the situation seem a bit more normal but Jack didn't say anything about it. He smiled sadly but it didn't reach his eyes.

"How's your head?" Riley asked.

"Ah, you know me." Jack said, his usual kilter was off, though. Where there would have been humor in his drawl there was…nothing. "I can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'."

"That's good to hear," Bozer said lightly. "Cuz we're gonna need your superior Delta skills to take down Murdoc."

Jack winced at that, his mind traveling back to a few hours ago – of being trapped inside his body, helpless to protect the person he promised he would never let anything bad happen to. What kind of partner was he if he couldn't even protect the kid in a damn hospital bed in the ICU?

"We will get him." Riley said, letting her feet fall back to the floor and leaning forward, grasping one of Jack's larger hands in her smaller one. Jack felt his eyes water and turned away ashamed. He would one hundred percent blame it on the lingering drugs in his system. Who knew what kind of side effects they could have.

"Hey," Riley said sternly, shaking his hand a little until he looked at her. "We will stop him."

"There's no 'we' about it, I'm gonna stop him." Jack said. "I won't let anyone else get hurt because I was couldn't stop that psychopath in time."

"It wasn't your fault," Riley said.

"You don't know what happened, you weren't there." Jack said. "You don't know how helpless-"

"I know exactly what happened." Riley told him firmly. "And I know exactly how helpless it feels. When I was eight, my dad came home from the bar drunk and ran into the side of the couch when he stumbled inside. He was furious at my mom, blaming her for moving it on purpose just so he would hurt himself on it. When my mom tried to explain that it hadn't been moved, he slapped her in the face and called her a liar. I had been playing on the couch earlier that night and it must have moved then. It was my fault and yet I had to watch silently, frozen in place, when he hurt her."

"Ri," Jack started but Riley cut him off.

"That was the first time I saw my dad hurt my mom. The second was when I was ten. She forgot to pay the cable bill and the tv turned off when my dad was watching a game and he threw a beer can at her head. It was still mostly full so when it hit her it broke her nose. I couldn't do anything that time either, just watch as my mom tried not to cry as she cleaned up the mess."

Even though Jack looked completely heartbroken Riley kept going, she had to get to the important part.

"The third and final time was when you were dating her. He came over, drunk again, but when he started hitting her you stepped in, beat him up, and kicked him out. You were like a superhero to me, Jack. I was so grateful that even though I couldn't do anything there was someone out there who could. That has always been you to me, Jack. I know exactly what it's like to be frozen when someone I love gets hurt, but I also know that you are the strongest person I know. If anyone can protect us, protect Mac, it's you."

When Riley finished, she could feel the tears trailing down her face. Jack pulled on her hand until she sat on the bed next to him and swiped at the tears on her cheek. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"I'm so sorry you went through all that when you were just a kid," Jack said. "And I'm so glad I stopped your dad from hurting your mom, but this is different. Elwood was just a drunk. Murdoc is an assassin who enjoys causing people pain, causing Mac pain. He is really good, better than me, and he has his sights set on Mac. He's obsessed and has proven that he is in control. I can't protect Mac, or any of you, from this psycho the way I could you and your mom from Elwood. Y'all deserve someone better than a washed up Delta like me."

"I met Mac after his mom died." Bozer jumped in immediately. "His dad had no interest in him. Mac would try so hard to impress the man but he just never cared. He would barely even look at Mac and the few times he did there was absolutely no love there, only anger and disappointment. The man waited until Mac's tenth birthday to take off and never come back, I mean who does that? Mac sat on the steps outside that house all night, just staring at the road and willing his dad to come back, but he never did.

"His grandfather got sick not long after that and he died by the time Mac was twelve. That's when he came to live with me and my family. I was the only real friend Mac had, everyone else bullied him relentlessly for being so smart which I never fully understood because Mac has always been the best person I have ever known and I didn't know why other people didn't see him the same way I did.

"When he left for MIT, I was so happy for him because he finally found people he fit in with but then he left for the military where he saw his mentor, the closest thing he had ever had to a father, die right in front of him. It wasn't until he met you that he finally had a person come into his life and never leave it. You signed up for another tour to watch his back, you followed him back to LA, and you have been inseparable ever since.

"I can see where your head's at, Jack, and I know you're considering quitting, or blindly sacrificing yourself to stop Murdoc, but you can't because you are the absolute only one in Mac's life who hasn't left him. I can't watch him go through another abandonment, not again. He doesn't deserve it, and you know Murdoc is going to come back. He got the better of you this time but we know better now. We won't underestimate him again and next time we are going to take him down."

Jack felt the truth in Bozer's words, and Riley's. He knew deep down that there was no way he could leave his kids behind. He had already done that once with Riley, which was something he regretted every day, and he couldn't with Mac.

"You know, Bozer, you spun a pretty eloquent speech just then but you did get one thing wrong."

"What's that?" Bozer asked and Jack smiled, a little bit of spark coming back into him.

"I'm not the only one who never left that kid, you haven't either and you're a damn good friend."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Bozer said. "Because he's going to need all of us to get through this."

"And we will get him through it," Riley said. "We won't let Murdoc win."

Jack nodded and felt something renewed within him.

Murdoc messed with the wrong family, and they were going to make him pay.

**To Be Continued.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Mac couldn't stop twisting the blanket covering him; he just kept wringing it between his hands until it was a crumpled mess of light blue fabric.

He couldn't stop thinking.

That was the worst part. Painkillers often did that to him. When other people got drowsy and fell asleep, his mind only seemed to rev up faster, run hotter, than even his normal state. It was disquieting to say the least.

He was alone, too. He could handle alone, he had spent enough of his life fending for himself, but after everything that had happened with Murdoc, he didn't want to be alone now.

That felt so selfish. The others would be with him if they could. Jack was in a hospital bed of his own, for crying out loud. Mac knew he had Phoenix security watching his back, but what if Murdoc got through that? What about Jack's room, did he have security, too? Mac tried to crane his neck to see around the curtain pulled most of the way around his bed but grunted when the ache in his gut catapulted into pure agony. He let his head fall back against the pillow, exhaling loudly through clenched teeth, and squeezed his eyes shut.

Ouch! Not to self, don't do that again.

"What are you doing, man? Can't leave you alone for ten minutes and you're already trying to get out of bed." Mac sighed internally at the familiar, warm voice. He heard the curtain slide along its track and felt a calloused, comforting hand on his arm. He let the pressure of Jack's hand ground him, and was infinitely grateful to have something else to focus on instead of the sharp dagger digging into his belly.

"Don't hold your breath," Jack soothed, brushing a strand of hair off Mac's forehead. "Breathe through it, man, you know the drill."

Mac tried, but when he pulled in another breath it felt like his lung was going to collapse again, the pain more concentrated around where the tube in his chest had been. His hand connected to the arm Jack was holding onto jerked forward against Mac's will as he searched for something to hold onto. Jack slipped his hand into Mac's and let him squeeze as hard as he wanted.

"You've gotta stop scaring me like this, kid." Mac heard Jack say quietly, and he could feel Jack searching around his bed for the small, white button that upped the amount of painkillers he was getting through his IV. Mac knew the mechanics of how the PCA, Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pump worked, and he knew he couldn't give himself too much or overdose on it, but he hadn't touched it at all since he had been aware enough to do so.

When Jack finally found it Mac heard him press the button rapidly a few times and it didn't take long before Mac felt the rush of pain killers rushing through his veins. He sagged against the bed when the worst of it was over and when he opened his eyes, Jack's blurry face was hovering over him nervously. Dr. Einstein was there, too, and Mac felt the hard plastic of an oxygen mask being placed over his nose and mouth. The oxygen was cool as it flowed through the mask and Mac closed his eyes again and simply focused on breathing. Being injured sucked. It made even the simplest tasks difficult. He had been breathing easily his whole life, except for a few unfortunate times when he most certainly was not, which meant that it shouldn't be as hard as it was now.

"How you doing there, bud?" Jack asked sheepishly. "Sorry I haven't been in to see ya since, you know."

"M'okay," Mac grimaced at how weak his voice sounded under the oxygen mask. "You?"

"Ah, you know me, man; my head's as hard as they come." Jack smiled. "If Lord Wack-a-Doo's rocket launcher didn't knock my brain any more loose than usual, his little paralytic trip didn't either. Seriously, bud, I'm so sorry I let that scumbag get near you like that. It's my job to protect you and I couldn't stop him."

"Jack." Mac grunted through the mask.

"And I know what you're gonna say, "not when we're off the clock" but I told you before, and this only proves it, we are never off the clock."

"Jack."

"I'm just so damn sorry, man."

"Jack!" Mac tried yet again, his voice as loud as he could get it even though it was still far too weak for Mac's liking. It finally did the trick, though, and Jack finally shut up.

"What?" He asked, almost innocently and Mac couldn't help the giggle that escaped – damn pain meds.

"Not your fault." Mac insisted, trying to stay serious. The phantom feel of Murdoc's fingers tracing along his broken ribs sobered him up pretty quick and he shuddered heavily. "He got you first, I know you couldn't move."

Jack winced at the reminder that they had both been held captive in their own bodies. But they had both fought tooth and nail to get out, too.

"I'm not gonna let him do that to you again, you hear me, kid." Jack promised, earnestly. "He ain't touching you again."

"I know," Mac couldn't stop another shudder, though, it was so hard to get rid of the feel of Murdoc digging into his incision with his fingers and ripping out his stitches. Mac didn't want to say it out loud because he didn't want Jack to feel any worse than he already did, but Mac was afraid he might never truly be free from those phantom touches. There was something about the way Murdoc explored his injuries, with an almost loving caress, and it made Mac sick to his stomach to even think about it. He'd been tortured before and it had been the most brutal and horrible thing he had ever been through, but that was almost easier to deal with afterwards than what Murdoc did, even though it was so tame when compared to how bad it could have been.

"It's okay," Jack continued. "Ya know, if you're not really okay."

Mac felt immediately betrayed by his body when he felt tears fill his eyes at the love and sincerity in the words. Jack had always been able to see through him in a way no one else had before. The damn painkillers were really messing with his ability to keep his emotions locked tight in the box they usually lived in. Mac wouldn't say he was an emotional robot, he had no boarders when it came to taking care of his friends, but when it came to dealing with his own crap it was much easier to just lock everything away. Mac bit his lip hard to keep the dam from letting loose. There was no way in hell he was going to cry in front of Jack, no, that just wasn't going to happen.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Jack whispered when Mac failed and a single tear slipped down his cheek. Jack gently swiped the tear away, and he had such a look of absolute anguish on his face, it broke Mac's heart even more. He felt his chest buckle as the sobs he was trying to keep in rocked his whole body and he groaned in absolute agony at the resulting cataclysm that exploded in his chest.

"You gotta calm down a little, bud," Jack said, his voice even more worried than before. "You're just hurting yourself. I'm right here, you're okay."

"It hurts," Mac ground out through clenched teeth. For the rest of his life he would blame the painkillers. He hated how loose-lipped they made him, how they took away his ability to control how much pain he allowed other people – especially Jack – to see. It felt like yet another violation to his person.

"I know, man, I know. I'm so sorry, I'm right here." Jack ran his hand soothingly over Mac's hair and eventually the pain died down again.

"I'm okay," Mac said again when his whole body could finally relax against the bed and he felt heavy with absolute, pain-triggered exhaustion.

Jack sighed, running a hand down his face, and Mac's eyes slowly drifted shut of their own accord.

"I don't think so, bud. But I promise you will be."

Jack would never say it out loud but it took a lot of courage for him to finally go back in and see Mac.

He just felt so damn guilty every time he thought of the kid, but he knew he had to. For one thing, there was no way he would be able to stay away for long regardless of any personal failures he was feeling. And secondly, Mac's past was riddled with abandonment and there was no way Jack was going to add to that.

No, he had spent too many years trying to rewrite all the psychological damage the kid's dad had left him with. That was what gave him the final push he needed go back into that room.

Jack knew deep down that Mac's unusual emotional display was a direct result of the meds he was on and that Mac would never normally let Jack see that side of him but in a weird way Jack was grateful for it. It was something to hold on to.

He had his mission. Jack would find Murdoc and he would put him in the ground. It didn't matter how long it took or how dangerous got. There was no way he was letting that psychopath get away with what he had done to Mac.

Jack would help Mac heal, and then hunt would begin.

That was the silent promise he made his kid that day, and he fully intended on keeping it – no matter the cost.

**The End. **

I've decided to end this story here because I eventually want to write a sequel further dealing with Mac's recovery and the team going after Murdoc. This story was only ever supposed to be a whumpy extension of the accident at the end of 2x04 and I am very happy with the way it turned out. I want to give the manhunt for Murdoc the proper care and attention it deserves and that means it will be getting its own story! Thank you for coming on this journey with me, this was my first MacGyver fanfiction story and I can't wait to write many, many more!


End file.
